The Scientist's Daughter
by The Dark Ibis
Summary: Annabelle Green can't remember parts of her past. Living with an abusive father who's completely driven by science, she assumes her amnesia is for the best. But suddenly she finds herself miles away from everything she knows after living through an explosion that destroys her home. Soon, Annabelle finds herself face to face with some of Earth's mightiest heroes.
1. Chapter 1

_ Tick. _Near the corner of my room, an analog clock read 2:14 am, the long hands casting shadows against the thick numbers and causing me to drift from my thoughts for the time being. _Tick. _I hadn't been able to sleep for days now, the nights dragging on endlessly as I waited, nothing else sensible to do but stare at the wall. _Tick. _I supposed I could have gotten up to fetch a book, or a notebook, or a drawing pad, or anything else to keep me occupied, but for some reason I felt as if I was glued to my mattress. _Tick._ I still tasted the mint of my toothpaste as I ran my tongue across the smooth surfaces of my teeth, my eyes wandering to the empty spot on the wall where a TV had been not a month earlier. That would have been a nice pass-time, though apparently I had lost my privileges to own a television. _Tick. _I clenched my fists, balling up my comforter between my fingers in annoyance as I let my attention stray from the wall, instead focusing it on the dark wood night table by the side of my bed. It was clean and organized, down to every drawer, the only things on the surface being a glass of water, a lamp, two sleeping pills, and a picture frame. _Tick. _The lamp was turned on, bathing the room in soft, dim light. I strained my eyes to make out the figures in the picture within the frame, the light of the lamp reflecting directly off the face of the person I wanted to see. I unclenched my fist and stretched my hand out to pinch the edge of the frame, turning it a few inches until the reflection had moved. _Tick._

The woman in the photo was my late mother, the picture taken in an October about twenty six years ago, in a dense wooded area. The beautifully colored fall leaves fell around her face and body, the picture captured before any of them could drift to the ground. They were stuck in a frozen fragment of time. _Tick. _The shot was snapped when she wasn't fully paying attention, her features bright as she did her best to smile through her laughter. She looked beautiful, in a way that I had never been able to see her. _Tick._

My father was the one who had taken the picture, determined to log all of the time he spent with my mother in the days they first met. There were several other snapshots similar to this, but this was my favorite by far out of the bunch. Her olive skin was glowing with health, her deep chocolate brown hair blown in wisps in every direction. A leaf had lodged itself in that tangled mess, the color mirroring that of her hazel eyes almost perfectly. The picture itself was slightly blurry with movement, my father's finger covering the top left corner. It was so imperfect; It had been shunned out of my father's collection of photos. But, I loved it.

_Tick._

My mother and father had married two years after this picture was taken. They moved to a place in southern Germany, and a year later had a little girl. If it wasn't obvious, that little girl was me. I was lucky enough to be blessed with many of my mother's features, except for the fact that my eyes were a mossy green, inherited from my father, and my hair fell in dark, curly waves. My skin was the same olive as hers, though slightly paler due to my lack of exposure to the sun. She had been a short woman, always looking so small when standing next to the towering frame of my father, who was nearly six foot two. I fell at a height between the two of them, barely reaching five-six. I wasn't short, necessarily, but I wasn't tall either. I was just average. There was nothing special about me. _Tick._

It wasn't long after I was born that my mother became sick, her smile fading faster as the days rushed forward, until she was far too weak to smile much at all. None the less, she always stayed positive no matter what she faced. When I was five we moved to Tokyo, Japan, settling into a large house nearly forty minutes away from the city. The building itself had been granted to my father through his business. He was a scientist, and his experiments on enhancing the productivity of cells had made headlines all over the world, catching the attention of a philanthropist and fellow scientist in Tokyo named Dr. Nagisa Yashimoto. She was the one who had given the grant to my father, and while she was a very stern woman, I found she was fairly pleasant to be around. _Tick. _After we moved she visited often, checking in on my father and pressing him to do better than he ever had before. My mother didn't like Nagisa, though, due to what she called her 'abruptness and rash personality'. So, during Nagisa's weekly visits to our household, my mother stayed secluded in her room, awaiting the moment when I would gently rap my knuckles against her door to tell her that Nagisa had left. Week after week I would receive my mother's grand smile as she opened the door and celebrated the scientist's absence, to the point where it became almost a joke for us. My mother would make ridiculous excuses to leave as soon as she stepped in the door, never failing to making me laugh, especially with her semi-broken English.

'The potbellied pig in my room needs to be fed.'

'I have to check on my closet door hinges.'

'Did you hear that? I should go check that. I hope it is not the madman rummaging around again...'

No matter what, she always managed to come up with a different excuse every time, always lightening the mood, even though Nagisa usually got frustrated. Soon, though, my mother began to retire to her room even without the presence of Nagisa, disappearing and not returning sometimes for hours. _Tick. _Those hours melded into days, and eventually she didn't come out at all. It became a rarity to see my mother out around the house. When she did come out I cherished my time with her as much as I possibly could before she disappeared again. My mother was the most important thing to me, especially at that young age. _Tick._

As my father's research progressed more and more, important figures became bored and unimpressed with his 'old fashioned' or 'ridiculous' ideas, one by one dropping their sponsors and grants until my father wasn't being paid at all. He pretended for a while, for my mother and I's sake, that everything was fine, and that he was only going through a short spurt of financial trouble. _Tick. _Soon, though, I began to notice the internal changes in my father, changes that were corrupting him from the inside out. He began to get angry with my mother and I more often, his temper easily sparked by ridiculously simple issues that he should have been able to brush off. But for whatever reason, my father became incapable of self control, disrupting our family life. I'd heard before that geniuses often went mad. I believed it. _Tick._

I hated abuse more than I hated anything else in the world, not only because I had been through it, but because I had to watch my mother go through it. Even in her last few weeks of life my father wouldn't give her the break she deserved, shouting at her for ridiculous things. Even then I was too stupid to stand up to him...even to help my mother whom I loved more than anything. She died a few weeks after my twelfth birthday. My father told me she'd gone to see her mother in Russia, something that he advised against, and had died on the plane. Just like that, my mother was gone. And so was my happiness.

After mother died, my father began to use me as a test subject for his crazy experiments, sure that if he could prove that they worked on a human being someone would begin to sponsor him again. But he was wrong. No one even gave him a second glance, even though I was suffering through procedures and working as hard as I could to help him. He was cruel, driven completely by science. To him, I was nothing more than another Guinea pig for him to work with. Still...I couldn't stand up to him. I never could. There was something about the way he had always talked down to me, so bitter and disgusted, that made me believe I was worthless. _Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. TICK._

I fumbled around the top of my dresser with one shaky hand, wrapping my fingers around the edge of the picture frame and thrusting it off of the table, where it hit the clock on the wall before sending both of the objects to the ground with a great crash. I waited in the quiet for a few moments, awaiting yet another annoying tick from the clock. Nothing. I was in complete silence. And, as much as I thought I would enjoy it, I hated it. I let a faint sigh escape my lips as I collapsed against my pillow, tugging the sheets up and over my head until the soft fabric had almost completely drown out the light from my lamp, which I was far too upset to turn off. I felt much safer under the heavy comforter, just like a child who was afraid of the monsters under her bed. Except my monster wasn't under the bed; My monster was a few doors down, sleeping peacefully in his own room. I was twenty three years old, barely, and I was hiding from a monster. Sometimes I felt like such a baby. Squeezing my eyes shut, I plunged back into thinking about the details of my past, something I always did when I felt lost. I hoped that maybe the more I thought about it, the more I'd be able to understand. There were so many things I couldn't remember, memories that were just barely out of reach. Was it because they were too painful? Even if they were, I was determined. Maybe if I could continue to dwell on my past, the lost memories would just pop up again...or so I liked to believe. After all, those things that I couldn't remember were only large black masses of missing space and time. If I could push the black away, clear the fog surrounding what was lost, I would be able to remember. And, just maybe, I'd be able to finally feel normal.

When I was about fourteen I developed an obsession with the supernatural. I'd discovered a set of comic books hidden away in our basement, and, after reading nothing but textbooks and other various schoolwork that my father forced upon me, it was a refreshing sight. I was completely consumed by comic heroes. The pages were so bright, the ideas so incredible that I almost felt I was there with the heroes and heroines, living a life I knew I could never have. There was something so spiritually lifting about each comic I read through, even when I ran out of new things to read. I'd spend hours rereading the same comic over and over again, twirling around my room, acting it out. I can remember that my father was angry, but for the first time in my life I didn't care. My cousin, daughter of my father's sister, would sneak new comic books every time she visited. Though it was only once or twice a year, it was still more than enough. She fed my addiction with comic after comic, sometimes not even in sequence, though it didn't matter to me. What mattered was the idea that there was a world where superheroes walked the streets, helping those in need. I often imagined myself being swept up by a handsome man in an outrageous uniform, spouting words of courage as he saved me from my awful existence.

My father dropped his 'crazy' scientific ideas for medicinal research when I was sixteen, turning over a new leaf and letting hope into his life again. He couldn't shake his abusive habits, though, but I was slowly growing more used to them as the days went on. Another day, another bruise. That was how life worked, I thought. I continued to be tested on, but the fact that I was helping create medicine for the greater population eased my nerves a little. So long as I was helping someone else in the long run, I was content. Gaining the support of Dr. Yashimoto yet again, my father started the medical company 'TG Medicines', a medical supplier for nearby Japanese hospitals. The TG stood for Theodor Green, though his full name was Harold Theodor Green. Why my father chose to use his middle name instead of his first I never knew, but I guessed it was a way for him to detach himself from his old habits...most of them, at least. He didn't want to be the unpopular 'Dr. Harry Green' anymore. He wanted to start fresh.

You can imagine my absolute delight when real heroes started popping up on the news. I can remember I was eating a milk-less bowl of cereal when the headline 'Who is Iron Man?' flashed at the bottom of the morning weather report. I spilled my bowl, and cereal went in every direction. Needless to say, my father was irritated. I, however, was elated. Heroes were out there. My comic books were real. I tried to do as much research as I could on other heroes, looking up things when I knew my father wouldn't catch me. If he knew I was wasting my time on something so silly, he'd be furious for sure. As with before, my cousin helped me when she could. I can remember the last day she ever visited, when I was about twenty, holding a large box of pamphlets and magazine covers from the nineteen forties, decorated with faded red, white and blue words. Captain America. The war hero lost at sea. The man who'd paid the greatest price to save his country and his people. The soldier that my German ancestors fought so hard to defeat. A weak boy who became one of America's greatest fighters. Something about his story made me feel stronger. I, too, was weak. But so was he, and he still managed to push to the top and prove everyone wrong. I wanted so badly for that to be me. He gave me hope.

My cousin hasn't visited since.

Something happened when I was twenty one years old, though this is one of the memories that has been blacked out in my mind. I remembered taking a trip to New York for one of my father's business meetings - _Was it really New York, __though__? _\- and I vaguely recalled some sort of struggle, though every time I tried to think of more details my head spun and ached. I wanted so badly to remember and fill the empty chunk of time that was missing from my memories, but I just didn't have the willpower to do it. I began to develop many health problems after that time, chronic headaches and an irregular heartbeat, along with extreme exhaustion. I couldn't sleep at night, yet I felt so tired during the day that it was hard to function. Something was wrong, and there was nothing I could do about it. I carried on day by day, trying to think of the positive things. My father had been using me less and less for experiments during the time, which was a plus. I could only hope that one day he would come up with something to help me in my ever weakening state.

No hero was coming for me. And, now, weaker than ever, the idea of becoming my own hero was very quickly dissipating.

I emerged from my sheets, glancing over at the night table and resting my eyes on the sleeping pills that were laying near the wooden edge. I contemplated taking them for a few moments and finally scooped them off the surface, sighing quietly as I slipped them into my mouth. I chased them down with a large gulp of water. I hated taking pills, but sometimes they were necessary. After not sleeping a wink in nearly three days, the sleep deprivation was starting to take its toll on me. I needed to sleep if I was ever going to get better. If. I settled into my pillow and pulled my covers over my head again, waiting as the pills slowly worked their magic and my eyelids began to grow heavy with much needed sleep.

"Tomorrow will be better." I whispered to myself in Russian, my first language, my mother's language, just as I did every night. Deep inside I knew this wouldn't be true, but something about saying it made me feel like there was a chance it would be. I put a hand over my heart and thought the words over again in my head, the quick beats calming me down. I guess I was just an optimistic person...most of the time. And in my situation, I needed to be. I didn't know how I would survive if I wasn't. "Goodnight, mother." I said into my sheets, my words so soft that I could barely hear them myself. Even though my mother was gone, this made me feel like she was here. Because in a way, she _was_ still here watching me, protecting me. I knew that.

I woke up with a start in the middle of the afternoon the next day, sweat beading on my forehead and goosebumps running down my arms like little bugs crawling under my skin. I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, waiting for the nausea that had suddenly settled over me to pass.

"What is this?" I asked myself, quietly, my blood pulsing in my arms and legs. I turned my stiff neck to look at my night table, where a little sticky note had been tacked to the side. With one shaky hand I lifted the paper, reading the words over a few times. 'Going out for the day. Won't be home until late. Tell me how the pills worked out when I get back'. It was scribbled in German, messy handwriting that I knew too well. I crumpled the sheet in my fist and chucked it across the room, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and standing up. The pills had been a test; Just another experiment. And now, like always, I was suffering from the after effects. Why did this always happen? Why was this happening to _me? _Why couldn't I get away from this?

At this point, for whatever reason, I finally snapped. After all of the years of being patient, all of the years of listening and putting up with everything, I lost it. All of my sanity was gone. And so, knowing my father was gone for the time being, I tore through the house. Angry, upset, and very confused, I dug through all of my father's files and all of his things, leaving a mess in my path. I trudged down the hall towards his lab room, ready to do my worst. I was done. Maybe it was the insanity speaking, or maybe it was common sense, but when I entered the room and found all of his things I decided I had to leave, and take him down in the process. He had done so much to me and I had been so willing to receive it, like an innocent child. But I wasn't a child. Not anymore. I pulled out his drawers and ripped pages out of his journals, angry tears building in my eyes until I couldn't see anymore. Frustrated, I plopped myself down by the wall and put my head in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably. What was I doing? This was my home where I had lived my entire life. I wouldn't survive out in the world by myself. I couldn't possibly function in society. I didn't know anything about the world out there, aside from what I'd learned on the news. I knew so much about science, math, everything in between, but I didn't know the first thing about life. I'd been hidden in this stupid house, told to stay inside. This house was all I'd ever know.

A drawer to my left caught my eye, cracked open just enough for me to see a small stack of letters. The one on the top was addressed, neatly written in English lettering.

'To Captain America'

Another sob caught in my throat as I read the words over and over again, though I only needed to read it once to know who had written it. I had. I snatched it out of the drawer and held it to my chest as I glanced at the others in the pile, all written out in my same handwriting, and all addressed to the same person. None of them even had stamps. They had never been sent; they had never been opened. I wrote those letters at a time when I was desperate, pleading for a man stuck in ice to come save me. I was weak. I was ridiculous. He wasn't alive. Of course my father hadn't bothered to put a stamp on them and send them out. Who would get them? For some reason, some screwed up reason in the back of my mind that I couldn't find the logic for, I thought I had a chance of at least communicating with him. How idiotic.

That put me over the edge. I stuffed the one letter into my pocket and stood up, stomping towards my father's desk and grabbing a match that had been placed near the edge. In the corner of the room was some sort of device, something that my father had been working on for some time. I think it was a bomb of some sort, though I was never sure why he'd built it. He had long since given up on it, though, since he could never get it to detonate. I was going to try, and hopefully succeed. Lighting the match and tossing it halfheartedly at the bomb, I braced myself for explosion. I was faced with nothing. The match bounced off the edge of the metal case and fell to the floor, still lit somehow. I strode over to the bomb and screamed at it in anger, wild anger, as if the shrill sound of my voice alone would detonate it.

"Why don't you work!?" I screamed, my words a jumble of dialects, wanting so badly for this entire place, and myself, to be torn apart. Some things never belonged. I wanted everything to be gone...forever. Crying yet again, I grasped the sides of the bomb in my hands and held it tight to my chest, wailing up at the ceiling. I had truly lost my mind, so much so that I didn't even realize the detonation of the bomb in my hands until my back hit against the wall across from me, my ears ringing and my head spinning. Flashes of light spotted around my vision as the floor rumbled, the walls around me crumbling as the bomb set to work. It really was a brilliant design, triggering larger explosions after the initial one that had knocked me over. My father always had been one for flashy devices. I couldn't believe I was still awake enough to see it all. I let my head fall back against the wall as my world crashed around me, taking me with it. I waited for my death calmly. My crying subsided. My life had been a waste, and I didn't mind ending it...especially not like this. For once, I hurt my father as much as he had hurt me. All of his life work would be gone. I got a sick sort of satisfaction out of that. He deserved it. I was done with the torture and the sadness he brought upon me. I was only twenty three, yet I was ready to die. Still, I was doing this to get revenge for all of the things my father had done. I was doing this for my mother.

_Dear Captain America,_

_There is so much I want to say to you, though I'm not exactly sure how. It may sound silly, but I think I need you. I don't know you, and you don't know me, but we're the same. You have been my inspiration, and my will to keep going. I know it isn't probable that you will even read this letter, but if you do...could you come see me? It's selfish of me to ask, but asking is the only way I can stay hopeful. I need a way out. If it isn't too much to ask, that is. I think of you a lot, and I hope you will at least remember this letter on the off chance you ever get it. After all, I don't think you're truly gone. Someone like you doesn't just stop existing. You'll come back. You have to. Please. That's all I can really ask for._

_Sincerely, Annabelle Green._


	2. Chapter 2

Car exhaust. I hadn't smelled it all too often, due to living so far from the city, but the smell was undeniable. The fumes that leaked from the back of a vehicle stained the sky and made the air near every big city reek of putrid oil. I hated it. So, when I awoke to the overwhelming smell, I immediately felt uneasy. I was laying on a hard surface, every inch of my body aching and my head throbbing. I eased myself carefully into a sitting position before hesitantly opening my eyes to figure out where I was, and why. I should have been dead. But, I was sitting on the rough pavement of a sleek road, the moon high in the sky and casting a faint light down on the white lines of the street so that they reflected back into my tired eyes. I took a painful deep breath in, letting the putrid smelling air fill my lungs, and then breathed it out again in disgust. I eased myself up, using a small sign by the side of the road to help me into a standing position. From what I could see of myself in the dark, I was battered and bruised. Dry blood caked my skin in various places. I didn't appear to still be bleeding, though, which I took as a good sign. I very vaguely remembered what had happened back in my father's lab, nausea settling over me as I thought about the encounter. No, I couldn't think about that now. I needed to find my way to a hospital, or back to my home, whichever I stumbled across first. I turned myself around to examine the other end of the road, a surprising view greeting my aching eyes. Just a little further down, lit up brightly like decorative lights, were the various buildings of a big city; What city, I wasn't sure. That explained the overwhelming smell of exhaust. I started forward towards the blinding lights, my body screaming at me as I went, every step sending a rush of painful shocks up my legs.

It took a while to reach the city, which welcomed me with an even greater wave of pollution, followed by the distant honking of car horns. I forced myself over to a nearby bench and sat down, taking in my surroundings as I did some deep breathing to ease some of the pain swelling through my body. A building from behind me emitted a faint thumping sound, most likely the beat of club music, making my head throb even more. I tilted back to examine the sky, which was nearly hidden behind all of the buildings. Judging by the light and the position of the moon I guessed it to be one or two in the morning, the fluorescent light from the lamp post near me casting my lonely shadow against the sidewalk. I was alone, again, yet this loneliness was something different entirely, more daunting and frightening. This was the outside world.

I lifted my feet up to examine the damage that had been done. They were dark black and rough, an indication that I had recently done a whole lot of walking. I didn't remember walking anywhere, though, unless my body had taken control when I was out and brought me here...wherever 'here' was. This seemed illogical, but it was the only thing I could possibly go off of at the moment. I couldn't have gone far, especially not in my condition. I had survived an explosion that should have killed me, though I was still skeptical on whether that was possible or not. In all honesty, I considered believing that I was some sort of ghost, tied to Earth to suffer for all eternity. Isn't that what ghosts did? I dismissed this idea, however, when I lifted my hand to my heart and found it beating heavily and irregularly, just as it always did these days. Letting out a silent sigh of relief, I took a moment to examine my surroundings again. If I was going to get anywhere from here, I would have to at least figure out where I was. If I was lucky, someone nearby would be willing to direct me to a hospital.

If I hadn't gone far I was probably in Tokyo, which fit the 'big city' surroundings. I hadn't been to Tokyo recently, so I didn't have much of an idea of what it looked like. The city mapped out in front of me seemed accurate enough. I stood up and set off down the street, ignoring the heavy pang of pain radiating through my feet as I began looking for some sort of help. Many stores and buildings were shut, closed for the night, though I was bound to find at least one open establishment. Back when my father had money we had Japanese housekeepers, and they had taught me enough through the years that I could speak it nearly fluently. If I needed help or directions, I would be able to ask for them. This fact eased my mind ever so slightly, though my other thoughts were running wild with worry. If my father knew I was still alive, he would come after me and punish me for all I had done, I was sure. He had to know all of the mess was my doing, and he was sure to hate me even more for it. I would get more than a few slaps for this one. I figured it would be inevitable. I accepted the fact that I would be found. And, weak as I was, I had to admit that I'd be happy to suffer through whatever I got from him, so long as it meant I could go home.

Soon I came across a large store, one of the only few that was still lit up from the inside. The sign read 'Candy Love', etched and lit up in frilly pink lettering. I ducked inside quickly, the bell over the door chiming as I entered, the loud ring startling me. I took a deep breath to calm myself and then stepped farther inside, meeting the eyes of a middle aged Asian woman who was smiling brightly in my direction.

"Hello." she spoke sweetly, her smile not wavering a bit. I nodded at her politely and made my way over to the counter, trying to ignore all of the delicious looking candy on shelves around me. I had always been a sucker for candy; it was part of my childhood that I could never let go. I cleared my throat and looked at the woman.

"Where are we?" I asked in Japanese, praying that my pronunciation was entirely correct. I hadn't spoken it in a while, at least not after my father had to let go of all of our housekeepers. The woman looked at me for an agonizingly long time without saying anything, as if I had just performed a magic trick that she didn't understand. She didn't look happy about it. I started wondering if I had said it wrong, ready to open my mouth and try again, when she spoke up.

"I may be Asian, but I don't speak...whatever that was," she said harshly, that bright smile of hers fading. Her words had an eastern twinge to them, which surprised me.

"It was Japanese," I answered, slowly, as if confirming to myself that had been the language I was speaking in.

"I don't speak Japanese. I was born in America."

"Then why are you here?" I was starting to get confused, my head pounding painfully as I tried to think of a solution to this odd situation. Why would a woman working in Tokyo only speak English? Didn't she want to talk to her customers?

"Because in America we speak English. This is America. Are you okay? You seem a little disoriented." She had slight concern lining her voice, though not concern for me. She was most likely worried that I was insane, due to my disastrous look, and that I was going to rob her candy shop. It took me a minute before I fully understood what she said, though, and I had to replay her words over in my head before fully comprehending them.

"We're in America," I repeated, ignoring her eye rolling. "What city?" There was no possible way I could have come all the way from Japan to America in one night, assuming that it really had only been a few hours. The only way I could have ended up here is if I had been taken here by someone while I was out. I wasn't even going to suggest that I'd managed to walk across water to get here.

"New York," she said uneasily, tilting her head slightly as she examined my battered face. I took a deep breath.

"What day is it?"

"October twenty second," she answered. It had been the same date when I woke up from my sleeping pill scare. Assuming it was very early morning here, I had only been awake for an hour or two. Had I really managed to get here in such a short amount of time? I swallowed and nodded my head slowly in response to the woman. I was far too tired to think about this now.

"...Thank you." I couldn't come up with anything else to say to her, and I didn't want to argue about where we were or what day it was, no matter how much I refused to believe it. I could have asked her where the hospital was, but I had no desire to speak to her, or anyone, anymore. I slowly turned to walked back out the door, the bell overhead again making me cringe as I left. Once I was outside I started wandering again, hoping to figure things out as I did. I gathered up the facts in my head, trying to make sense of them. Apparently I had made my way to New York in a few hours, barefoot, after surviving an explosion. It just didn't make any sense. Maybe none of it had really happened. Maybe this was a dream. It had to be. I was still asleep at home, under the influence of my father's sleeping pills.

I cursed angrily at myself and the situation and stopped walking, confused and upset. How did I get here? My anger was flaring up easier than it had before, the rage pent up inside of me almost frightening. After all of my years of being trapped, I had finally gotten out, apparently. But what now? What could I possibly do to figure things out? I was about to scream in frustration when I heard a snap, then a violent fizz. I tilted my head up in time to see the light post above me pop and go out, sending shattered glass showering towards me. I slid out of the way and watched the pole from a distance, trying to find any object laying around that could have possibly broken the glass. My first assumption was that someone had fired a gun at me, though I couldn't clearly see any bullets laying around.

Another popped out behind me, followed by two more. I shrieked quietly and started running, covering my ears so I couldn't hear the deafening sound. Everywhere I went the light posts popped and went out, leaving me in almost complete darkness by the time I reached the end of an alley. Once at the edge of the sidewalk I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths, trying to make sense of the situation in my head. I collected myself and slowly left the dark alleyway, my mind running in circles. Why was this happening? Was I doing this, somehow? I felt a strange sensation running through my body, like I was being electrocuted, though it didn't hurt. It almost felt warm, and somehow familiar. I took a few more deep breaths, focusing in on the area. In my panicked sprint I hadn't realized where I had ended up, though what I saw now halted my breath. The strange electric tingling inside of me grew stronger as I lifted my head to see the few letters plastered across the top of the building standing just in front of me, lit up for the entire city to see.

STARK

Stark Tower. I could barely believe it, even though I was seeing it with my own two eyes. The building itself was much bigger and brighter than I had ever imagined, and I couldn't help but let my mouth hang open like an idiot. This was the tower I had only seen in photographs and newscasts, the home to the hero that had started it all; Tony Stark. Iron Man. I took a deep breath and walked closer to the building, not really thinking, praying that he didn't have some insane security outside that would kill me the moment I stepped onto his property. Luckily for me, I made my way to the door without any problem. I froze at the doorstep, letting out a shaky breath. I couldn't just knock...could I? It was extremely early in the morning by now, and Tony Stark was most likely sleeping like normal people did at this hour. I didn't want to bother him. But, at the same time, the thought of seeing him face to face was exciting. I had no money, no shelter, no food, and no friends or family that could help me out. I wasn't going to call my father, no matter how desperate I got. Funny, how just a moment ago I'd felt so willing to just let him take me back. My feelings were all over the place. In that moment, getting into Stark Tower seemed like something I deserved. I could at least hope that Tony Stark would help me out, even if it was just a little bit. A little bit of help was all I really needed.

The more I stood next to the building, the more I could feel a strange energy pulsing off of it, like little waves of light. It almost seemed...alive, like it was breathing in and out gently with the breeze. But it was more than that, as if it was full of tiny connections just like the human body. Of all the strange things that seemed to be happening, I didn't question it. Not quite knowing what I was doing, as if drawn in by the building, I placed my hands on the outer wall, letting my eyes fall closed. What I felt radiating from the wall was amazing, like a colorful flow of energy that was warm and bright. My vision, though it should have been dark with my eyes squeezed shut, exploded with colorful strands of electricity, all dancing across my eyes beautifully. I had never felt anything so wonderful in my life. I could tell that this was Stark's entire system; his entire security; everything that ran his tower...and I could feel it all.

Suddenly, after moments of awe, something popped like a gunshot, and the bands of colorful light in my vision started to fade and turn gray. In a matter of a few seconds, they were completely gone. I opened my eyes quickly and looked up to see that the building was no longer lit, like a black hole had swallowed up all of the light. Panic ran through me as I stared at the door. I had just killed Stark Tower. How could I do that? No, it couldn't have been. Maybe it was a defense mechanism. I pulled the door open with ease and walked inside slowly, looking around for any sign of movement. The power outage was building-wide. Maybe it wasn't defense.

It was extremely dark, and I struggled not to trip over random objects throughout the halls. Maybe there weren't things there after all, and I was only tripping over my feet. I couldn't tell. Anxiety grew within me as I searched, not quite sure what I was looking for. What would happen if he found me here? Would he blame me? Think I was a terrorist? I had meant to do anything in the first place., but I didn't know how I could explain how or why I did it. Explaining something that I couldn't even grasp was impossible, and I knew it. I could only pray that if the man caught me, I could provide a somewhat decent explanation. But, probably not.

I was caught up in my thoughts when I ran into something hard and stumbled backwards, hitting the wall behind me lightly. I blinked and held my hand over my eyes to shield them from the circular light emitting from the object I had run into, painfully bright in contrast to the dark hall. I'd been so absorbed in thinking that I hadn't even noticed it approaching, and now it seemed almost frighteningly sudden. It took a few seconds before I realized what the light belonged to, and my eyes grew wide as my heart thumped in my chest.

"The culprit of my power outage, maybe?" the object spoke, my body tensing. Mr. Stark. I stayed quiet, too terrified to make any words form in my mouth. He sighed. "You're lucky I have a back up generator." He clapped his hands and the lights came on, blinding me momentarily until I adjusted. I straightened out my back and nervously looked up into Stark's face, a wave of feelings flowing over me. He was a lot closer to me then I had expected, his dark eyes staring me down as I took him in. His dark hair was messy, most likely from sleeping, and the arc reactor glowed faintly through his thin tee-shirt. He wasn't really too much taller than me, but his demeanor made me feel as if he was towering over me. I felt like a child. Realizing I was done with my examination of him, he gave me a smirk, which I had seen many times in interviews. That gesture, sending a chill down my spine, gave me mixed feelings. Either he found me to be a nice surprise, or I was in a lot of trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony Stark turned and continued on down the long hall ahead of us as I scurried after, silently praying that I wouldn't get severely punished for my actions. Tony had always seemed like a cool person in his interviews, at least the ones that I saw, but I couldn't shake the fear that had built up inside of me that everyone had a dark side. There was no way to tell someone's personality by how they acted for the media; my father was a prime example. Tony could very well turn around and smack me hard in the face right now, as I deserved. I watched his thin figure nervously as he made his way down the corridor, his back to me. We didn't speak. Our feet padded softly against the floor, though it sounded much louder in the silence. I held my breath to keep from breathing too loudly, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. Once again I changed my mind; I wanted to be home.

Soon the hallway opened, spilling into a large area that looked to be living room. It was decorated with many modern and expensive looking things, which I immediately had the urge to test out. I wanted to leap onto the couch, turn all the lights off and on, revel in the beauty that was this furniture, so different from what I had at home. But I didn't want to give a bad first impression, so I kept my hands glued to my sides, like a child in a glass shop. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized I'd already made a pretty awful first impression by shutting his power off. That ship had long since sailed.

I passed by a fancy looking lamp and reached out my hand to lightly brush the shade, then quickly pulled my fingers away before Tony could see. I had never been in such an interesting looking building before, interior or exterior. I had a special appreciation for other people's things, since I had been stuck with only my own things my entire life. A sigh escaped my lips, coming out much louder than I intended, breaking the stiff silence in the room. I glanced up at Tony, who I hadn't noticed had stopped in the middle of the room to stare at me. Honestly, I hadn't even realized I had quit walking. My mind was far too busy for me to notice anything, which I took as a bad sign. I swallowed and straightened out my back, squaring my shoulders and taking a calming breath. I could at least try to look like I knew what was going on, even when on the inside I wanted to curl into a ball like a small child. Tony was a celebrity, after all. A hero. I would do all I could to somehow make up for the mistakes I had already made. I figured the best way to do this was to use my 'winning personality'. At least, that's what my father had always called it. '_A winning personality makes you seem all the more attractive and approachable. Use it at all times_.' That's what he told me at every one of his little gatherings, as if I had forgotten. Those parties were always the same, as well as the people who came to them. Although, I had a feeling this encounter would be different. Tony Stark was not the same as the people I won over at my father's parties and gatherings. He would see right through me, I was sure of it.

He held his hands behind his back casually and walked around me, looking me over. My body tensed involuntarily. I felt like a criminal being sized up for the chopping block.

"Let's see," he started, his eyes on me. I didn't move a muscle, hoping not to show any sign of my unease. "Average height, young, dark brunette, European features, green eyes, and..."—he stopped walking and picked up a piece of my hair, taking a deep breath in—"...smells like ocean water. So tell me, how exactly did you manage to power down my tower?" He dropped my hair, where it fell over my shoulders, and walked around me again until he was standing in front of me, crossing his arms over his arc reactor. I avoided eye contact with him, letting my eyes drift around the room instead.

"I don't know," I answered quietly. He sighed in annoyance.

"You don't know how you hacked into my entire system? Hard to believe that. Who do you work for?" The abruptness in his voice caused an odd shock to move through my spine, fear settling over me. He really was angry, not that I expected any different.

"No one," I whispered, then raised my voice for him to hear me better. "I don't work for anyone." I lifted my eyes to his now. Eye contact was good. I had to handle this as calmly as possible.

"So, you wanted to break into my tower for your own amusement?"

"I didn't mean to break into your tower."

"Once again, that's hard to believe."

"Mr. Stark I promise I didn't mean to cause you or your tower any harm," I said, making sure to clearly articulate my words. His eyebrows knit together in frustration, and his dark eyes bore into mine as we stood for a few moments of silence. I returned the stare, ignoring my heart throbbing in my chest.

"Are you some crazy girl that I slept with ten years ago who still hasn't let it go? You look about my type; you remind me of one of those wildly beautiful girls that I found fun to hang around with for a night or two. Listen, I don't know how many times I have to tell you people that I'm in a steady relationship now, and I don't want to have to deal with—"

"It's definitely not that," I said quickly, getting embarrassed at the thought. Wildly beautiful? I didn't think that was really accurate. Besides, I wasn't some psycho here to stalk him…right? No, no, this was different. I think.

"Then why are you here?" he said finally, a bit quieter.

"...I'm not sure." I mumbled, my confidence dwindling. It was hard to appear tough when I didn't have any valid information to back myself up. Tony sighed yet again and shook his head, rolling his eyes. He turned around and began pacing the room, his steps heavy on the floor underneath us. My anxiety was becoming almost crippling.

"Jarvis. Show me the video footage of the front door before the systems were shut down." he called, removing his hands from behind his back to pop his knuckles.

"Yes, Mr. Stark. Right away." The voice came from within the ceiling, male and with a strong British accent. I jumped in surprise and I looked up, as if expecting to find some man dangling from the roof, but instead I found nothing. I tilted my head back down and looked at Tony, my eyes wide with curiosity. The corner of his mouth raised in a smirk.

"That's Jarvis." he responded, as if this was enough explanation for me to figure out who Jarvis was.

"What is he?" I asked, pressing further.

"Just A Rather Very Intelligent System." He emphasized the first letter of every word, which explained the origin of the nickname. I nodded my head slowly, trying to understand. From that I gathered Jarvis was a program, but I couldn't tell much else.

"Clever."

"Of course. Comes with the name." He shot me a smile, which I effortlessly returned. I fell silent again and looked down at my hands as soon as he turned his back to me, though, my smile fading. No matter how hard I tried to distract myself, the events of the past day continued to come back to me, destroying my ability to even pretend I was okay. I wouldn't mind a small conversation to ease my nerves. But what was he supposed to say to me? 'What are your hobbies' or, 'So, how about the weather yesterday'? No matter what either of us said right now, it was only going to make things more awkward than they already were, which was saying something.

He sat down on one of the nice couches, draping his arm over the arm rest to get a better look at me, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"So," he started slowly, tapping his fingers along the edge of the couch, "What is your name?"

"Annabelle Sawyer Green."

"Age?"

"Twenty two." I paused, remembering the birthday I'd had barely a week earlier. "…twenty three." He gave me a quizzical look, but didn't press farther on the subject.

"Gender?"

"Female," I said slowly, running a hand self-consciously through my thick hair.

"Just making sure."

"Right." Just as I had suspected, he had made things more awkward. Was it hard to tell I was female? Did I look like something else? Just a moment ago he'd called me beautiful, yet now…

I awkwardly swayed back and forth, tapping my foot lightly on the ground as we fell into silence again. It was growing more agonizing by the second, and I could only pray that he would let me leave soon. But not go home. Or…maybe go home. I still couldn't decide. I wanted to bash myself in the head until I could come to a steady conclusion about what to do with this whole mess.

"Jarvis sure is taking a while. I programmed him to be better than this. Maybe whatever you did messed with his systems in more ways than I thought," Tony mumbled, dropping his head back against the couch. I wanted to sink into the floor and disappear from existence.

"So, Green. I feel like I've heard that before."

"It's a common name," I responded sheepishly. He tapped his chin. I sighed. "…My father is a scientist," I added.

"Where does he work?"

"He has his own lab. Near Tokyo. He makes medicinal supplies."

"Harold Green, correct? I remember now," he said casually, as if he'd really known all along and only wanted to make me feel uncomfortable. He reached over the arm rest and grabbed a glass of liquid that I hadn't noticed was there before, bringing it to his lips and taking a long drink. "That explains your quirky little accent." I looked up at him in surprise, my attention wavering between the glass and his face.

"You knew my father?" I asked, ignoring his remark about my accent. I didn't know if he meant quirky in a positive or negative way, and, honestly, I didn't want to know. Sure, my accent was a weird mixture of several dialects—dominantly German—but that didn't make it bad. Right? I hoped not. It made me cringe to think that I might sound like a complete idiot when speaking English because of the accent.

"Yep. Met him a few times. Wasn't too fond of the guy, no offense, but I don't think he liked me either. We had...conflicting opinions." He brought the glass away from his face and set it down on the table again, the liquid sloshing around for a few seconds before it settled. I uneasily focused my attention on his drink to avoid making eye contact with him.

"He didn't like you at all," I responded. I examined the glass for a few seconds longer and then looked down at my feet and bit my lip, thinking through all of the journal pages I had read in my frenzy earlier, while in my father's lab. There were several hateful entries about Tony in particular, as well as the other scientists around the world. My father's temper and envy often got the best of him.

"That's what I thought. So, he's German, right? What's up with the name 'Green'? Last time I checked, that wasn't German."

"His father was adopted by an Irish couple. But yes, my father is one hundred percent German. And very proud of that." My father even had a German flag hanging in his room, as if he needed a reminder of where he came from.

"Interesting. I suppose it's good to be passionate about your country. I know a few people that would appreciate that, one in particular." He took a prolonged sip of his drink, wiping his mouth. "I heard that your father's lab had an accident. Is that true?"

"Hm?" I blinked and lifted my eyes to him to see he was watching me carefully, sweat beading on my neck by the intensity of his stare.

"An explosion? It was on the news." He laced his fingers together and watched my face curiously. I swallowed hard and bobbed my head up and down a few times.

"Yes. There was," I said stiffly. I couldn't imagine how the news had covered it already, but had to remind myself that live coverage was a common thing. Though, that would have meant that Tony was up early in the morning watching Japanese live coverage, which seemed hard to believe. Maybe he was interested in that sort of thing. Or maybe the explosion had been a bigger deal than I thought.

He opened his mouth to ask something else when the wide T.V. in the room flashed on, silencing him before he could continue.

"Sorry for the wait, Mr. Stark. Here is your video footage." Jarvis's voice boomed around us, echoing in the large room. I let out a silent sigh of relief and turned my attention to the TV. I was actually interested to know what the surveillance camera had captured during the time I had 'hacked' into the building's system. The energy pulsing through me then, and now, was still extremely strange to me. I had no idea how I was going to explain it if he asked. I didn't understand it myself; there was no way I could tell him about the 'strands' of energy flowing through his tower without him thinking I was a complete lunatic. I hoped the footage would show something more easily explainable.

The image of me standing outside of the tower faded in on the screen. I twiddled my thumbs nervously as I watched. My hand in the video was pressed lightly against the frame of the tower, my eyes shut tight, a peaceful look on my face. I didn't look suspicious, more like someone who was just trying to focus on thinking. In a way, that had been exactly what I was doing. The video footage continued like this for a few more moments, until there came a sudden jolt. For a brief moment my body on the screen seemed to flash and light up, which was the last thing that was caught on the tape before the screen flickered out and went black. I quickly looked to Tony so I could attempt to explain what we were seeing, but he was still concentrated on the screen. I swallowed my makeshift explanations and left him to his thoughts. Maybe he could figure out what I couldn't. Maybe he could help me find out exactly what was going on with my body, and why.

"Jarvis, play that last bit again," he said seriously, "and pause when that light is first captured."

"Yes sir." The video rewound itself and paused on the scene Tony asked for, the footage even more fascinating now that it was still. The bright, seemingly otherworldly light engulfed my entire body, as well as a few feet around me. The entire front of Stark tower was bathed in the odd light, which I was clearly the source of. How, I didn't know. Tony narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the screen, stroking his chin lightly as he examined, deep in thought. I watched him, tensed and afraid for what he was going to say. There was no doubt he was puzzled, which wasn't a good sign. Scientists didn't like things they couldn't explain. And I, being raised by a scientist, also found it unsettling.

"Is that some sort of electrical device? One that unleashes an extreme amount of energy, enough to kill my system?" he asked slowly, still looking at the screen though it was obvious the question was directed towards me. I opened my mouth to defend myself and insist that I hadn't purposefully done it, but Jarvis interrupted me.

"No, sir. I'm afraid there is no such device. A device with that amount of energy would have to be at least the size of an average human being, if not larger. That we know of, at least." As he finished I shut my mouth again, at a loss for words. Had I really been able to release that much energy? I didn't even know how I was capable of doing something like that, and I honestly didn't believe it. I _couldn't_ believe it. It wasn't humanly possible. There had to be some other explanation. Just like everything else that had happened this day already, I was tempted to believe it was all a dream.

"I see." Tony finally looked away from the screen and focused his eyes on me. I blinked and stared back, wishing I could know exactly what he was thinking. It would have been nice to get some sort of mind reading powers, instead of whatever the heck I was dealing with now. I guess even superheroes didn't get what they wanted. Then again, I wasn't a superhero. I didn't know what I was. _Wake up, Annabelle. _

"Well, I guess there is no other choice," he said. With that he stood up swiftly and grabbed a briefcase off of the side table, clicking a button near the handle, which flashed a few times and made metallic clicking sounds. I backed away slowly, suddenly fearful of whatever he had hiding in that suitcase. I had a feeling it wasn't good.

"What are you-" I started, but before I could finish my sentence the Iron Man suit had formed over him and latched into place, the metal mask covering his face. He seemed so much more inhuman now, like a metal man with a cold stare and no heart. He held his hand up and immediately fired an energy beam at me, the bright light blinding me. I barely made it out of the way in time, a scream escaping my lips as I ducked for cover. The beam hit the wall behind me, a few pieces of rubble exploding and falling around me. As soon as I shook off the initial fear of the situation, I quickly popped back up and stood in a defensive stance. I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but before I could he flew forward and smashed me against the wall, my back cracking painfully. My head spun and black spots danced across my vision as he pressed me against the wall, pain jolting through my body. His metal covered arm was firm against my neck, and still warm from charging the energy beam he had fired. Was he trying to kill me? I began to panic, and I could feel the spark of electricity flowing through my blood once again as it had before. This time, though, the energy seemed stronger and more defensive, reminding me almost of an adrenaline rush. Before I could think to stop myself I released a significant amount of energy through my fingertips, the power popping and fizzing up my arm until it entered Tony's suit. I could feel the hair on my arms start to raise with the static, and I clenched my teeth to keep from passing out from the sudden overwhelming exhaustion that came over me. Straying my attention from myself, I tried to look at Tony's suit the way I had with the tower earlier. It only took me a moment of focus before I could feel all of the energy draining from the suit, and it began to die down quickly. Within moments the suit stopped glowing and lost its mechanical hum, crumpling to the ground. The metal clanked together noisily as it settled and then fell still, with no sound from Tony on the inside.

"Mr. Stark!" I yelled, dropping to my knees next to the suit. My back still ached immensely from the wall, but I pushed through the pain and shook his shoulders harshly, gripping at the metal. I got no reply for a few seconds, panic still running through me. Had I killed him? I couldn't have. I still felt a sort of presence in the room. I beat my hands against the metal in hopes for a response. Finally, the suit started to retract back into its briefcase form. Tony, now back to the way he had been before, sat up slowly, his eyes at the same level as mine.

"Are you okay?" I asked frantically, hoping I hadn't hurt him or damaged his arc reactor in any way. Killing or hurting him was something I most certainly couldn't live with. He stared at me for a while, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, and then flashed me a white-toothed grin.

"That's some power you've got there kid." he sputtered.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," I said, feeling like an idiot. The rush of the energy was gone now, and that exhaustion was even stronger. I was having trouble even keeping up with English right now. I wanted the comfort of speaking in German.

"Did you see what you just did? You killed my suit."

"I apologize," I said quietly, feeling ashamed. Was he expecting that apology? I could have killed him, after all. But I had a feeling he was going after something different.

"No, no, it's fine. It's amazing, actually. You don't have any weapon on you, yet you did that." Tony stood up and offered me his hand, which I took carefully and let him pull me up to my feet. A wave of nausea rolled over me, but I ignored it the best I could and focused on his words.

"There has to be some kind of explanation for it, no human can do something like that." My voice shook as I spoke, tears of confusion and pain suddenly brimming in my eyes. Everything was catching up to me now with the exhaustion. I was about to have an emotional fit if I couldn't control myself.

Tony shot me a look that seemed to be something semi-sympathetic.

"I was watching the news about an hour ago. That's when I heard about your father's lab accident. And I heard something else that I found interesting. It went something like this," He cleared his throat and tried his best to sound like a female reporter, "Along with the destruction of his property and much of his lab research, Dr. Harry Green also lost his daughter in the explosion. Judging by the type of explosives and the fact that she was thought to be in the same room where the explosion initially took place, it is certain she died on impact. No body has been found. We are unsure how the explosion started, though some suspect it was the girl herself who did it as an act of suicide." He finished, that uneasy chill running through my spine. I repeated the words in my head a few times, thinking them over. If the news presented me as dead that meant the general population thought I was dead. And my father was part of that population. I took a sharp breath in and slowly lowered myself down onto the couch, my head spinning. I wasn't dead, even though I very well should have been. I had nowhere to run now. I was non-existent. Maybe it was better this way. After all, I really had wanted to disappear.


	4. Chapter 4

I felt very out of place sitting in Tony Stark's kitchen in the early morning, the dark sky making the dim lit room seem smaller than it actually was. Really, this place was huge. I twiddled my thumbs nervously and focused my attention on the window, knowing the sun wouldn't come out for at least a few more hours. Tony had been running around the building making phone calls after I explained to him everything that happened to me, though I left out the parts about my father's abusive behavior. After that he told me to sit at the kitchen table and wait for a while, even after I protested about staying. 'Help yourself to any of my food. I have a wide variety,' he told me. Not wanting to cause him any more trouble, I settled for a bag of potato chips. Even the delicious salty snack didn't seem appealing to me, not to mention that I wasn't even very hungry. The bag now laid untouched on the table. Even though I was used to being by myself, there was something about being in someone else's home that made me uneasy, even without considering the fact that the owner of this home was a superhero. One of _my _superheroes. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes to calm my waves of anxiety.

Finally, Tony came back into the kitchen and sat in the chair across from me, lacing his hands together as I forced my eyes open to look at him. He watched me curiously, as if he was looking for something that would surprise him. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable, that unwavering gaze of his, so I spoke.

"Is there something you need?" I started, slowly. Tony seemed to snap out of a trance, his eyes foggy. I had to wonder if he was as exhausted as I was. Surely he hadn't gotten enough sleep to be up and about so early dealing with me. Maybe he hadn't even slept at all.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"No."

"You know, I think you should go take a shower." he continued. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to grin and say he was joking. He didn't.

"Do I...smell really bad?" I took a piece of my hair and sniffed it, the scent of ocean water coming off overwhelming. It wasn't necessarily a bad smell, but it wasn't one I wanted to get used to. Tony shrugged his shoulders and casually leaned back in his chair.

"Not really. I just thought you might like to. Girls like showers, you know? They like to feel clean."

"...right, of course. Thanks for reminding me." I said somewhat sarcastically. He made a face and continued talking, blabbing, really.

"It's up the stairs and to the right. Can't miss it. But if you do, just ask Jarvis for help. He's smart." He gave me a somewhat wild and mysterious smile, my unease getting stronger. I nodded and slowly stood up, giving him a sidelong glance and deciding not to comment on the fact that he had just called a machine 'smart'. I had a feeling he was just indirectly complimenting his own genius.

"Thanks, I guess. I'll be back," I mumbled as I started towards the stairs, grabbing a hold of the railing to steady myself. I still wasn't feeling one-hundred-percent after the explosion, and my body was starting to complain more and more with every move I made. Of course, I wasn't going to tell Tony this.

"Take your time!" he yelled to me. I felt a bit put off by his abruptness but once again chose not to comment, making my way up the stairs and looking around for the bathroom as soon as I reached the top. He had said it was on the right, but there were four doors on the right. I opened the first one, peeking my head inside and looking around. Luckily for me, it was the bathroom. It was huge and extremely nice, just like the rest of the house, the floor and counter made of a creamy color that I thought to be marble. The cool stone felt nice against my sore feet, and I stood still for a moment before turning and facing the mirror. I was startled by my reflection. Staring back at me were my big green eyes, though they looked sadder than usual and very bloodshot. My face was marked with dark burn lines, though it didn't appear my skin was actually damaged. Thank goodness. My wavy hair stuck up in different places, singed by the fire in a few spots. I was a mess.

I took a deep breath and turned away from the mirror, not able to stand looking at myself any longer. I stripped off my clothes, letting them fall into an unorganized heap on the tile. They were toasted already from the flames of the explosion, and I didn't see any reason to fold them or even pick them up off of the floor. I brushed them to the side with my foot and stepped into the gigantic shower, pulling the glass door firmly shut behind me. I ran a hand through my tangled hair and focused my attention on a panel built into the side of the shower, staring at the various knobs and buttons. I realized I had no idea how to even start it. Why in the world did a shower have to be so complicated? I bit my lip and nervously reached forward, turning the biggest knob, which did nothing. Frustrated, I began turning more knobs, hoping for some kind of reaction. I got none.

"Oh come on..." I mumbled. I pressed a few more buttons in anger, wishing Tony had at least informed me on how to run his shower, my eyes burning more and more with each agitating moment. For the second time tonight, anger was getting the best of me. I pressed one more button, which was apparently the 'on' button. Suddenly I was being sprayed with spurts of boiling hot water, scalding my already damaged skin. I squealed and leaped up and down and began furiously pressing buttons once again, hoping to eventually find a decent temperature. I flipped a little switch on the side of the panel that looked promising, yet the little shoots of water kept coming. I couldn't even tell where they were coming from. All I knew was that they were absolutely everywhere, and nothing I did seemed to make them any less obnoxious. Finally, after about a minute more of pain and scalding, I remembered what Tony had said: 'Ask Jarvis for help'. I smacked my fist against the stone lining the sides of the shower, clenching my teeth.

"JARVIS!"

"Yes, Ms. Green. How may I be of assistance?" Jarvis's voice boomed through the walls, only slightly drown out by the sound of the water.

"Fix the shower!" I was about to apologize for my forceful words, but I remembered that he was only a robot and kept my mouth shut. Besides, as soon as I opened my mouth I got a painful shot of water right into it. Looked like my body wasn't going to be the only thing burned.

"Right away Ms. Green." Jarvis responded calmly. Almost instantly, the shower stopped spurting water at me, the main shower head sputtering on. The water fell softly against my skin, much cooler than it had been previously.

"Thanks for helping me before..." I mumbled sarcastically, closing my eyes as I let the calm water soothe me.

"I apologize."

"I forgive you."

"Thank you." With that, Jarvis's voice was gone, though I knew now that he was readily available whenever I needed him. I was sure that would come in handy. If the shower was this complicated, I didn't want to know what the rest of the house was like.

I finished quickly, making sure to ask Jarvis to turn off the water this time. The steam billowed around me as I pushed the glass door open, wrapping a towel around my body as I stepped out onto the tile. I carefully tucked the corners of my towel in to get it to stay, my fingers brushing across one of the many bruises on my body. I ignored the faint pain and made my way over to the mirror, looking myself over again. I immediately found myself looking around my body, checking for any of my bruises that were exposed. It had become a habit for me to do a 'bruise check', where I would make sure that all of my bruises were covered or concealed with makeup. It was one of the many routines in my daily life. I didn't see much of a reason to try to cover them now, though, because I knew I would be able to blame the explosion. Nothing like a good explosion to keep my father off the hook.

I shifted my attention to my wrist, which had been throbbing dully due to a break in the bone. It had gradually gotten better in the past few hours, though, which I was grateful for. My adrenaline must have gone to work. I gently bent my wrist back and forth, making sure it was healing straight, which it seemed to be. I had broken it a couple weeks ago, though the pain was just now starting to subside. I dropped my wrist gently and let my hand fall by my side as I moved away from the mirror, suddenly wondering what I was going to wear. The clothes I came in were nowhere to be found, and I had nothing else with me. There was no way I was going to go downstairs in only a towel. I knew enough about Tony Stark's past to know that was not a good idea.

"Jarvis? May I have some clothes?" I asked slowly, the fact that Jarvis was everywhere still freaking me out a little. It was weird to know that something was always watching. Creepy, actually.

"Yes. I was just arranging them for you. Mr. Stark does not own many articles of women's apparel, so you will have to make do with this until tomorrow." Jarvis answered. A mechanical arm lowered itself from one of the ceiling panels and dropped a pair of folded clothes on the counter, brushing them off before retracting back into the roof. "Please excuse my intrusion, Ms. Green."

"...That's okay..." I muttered, walking over to look at the clothes to examine them. I appreciated the fact that Jarvis was a gentleman. Or...gentlebot..?

I picked up the first article of clothing, a simple low cut black tank top, and set it to the side before looking down at the other things. I unfolded the next, finding that they were a pair of dark shorts that seemed extremely too short for my comfort. I sighed heavily and glanced at the bra and underwear that had been laying under the clothes, my eyes widening. They were a matching silky black, little frills of material lining the edges. I lowered my hand and slowly lifted the bra off of the counter, holding it away from me as if it were something dead. "...I don't even want to know why Tony has these..."

"Well you see, Tony always keeps at least one outfit in case of situations like these." Jarvis answered, still startling me even though I had somewhat expected him to answer.

"Situations like... girls breaking into his tower? Great. He did a fantastic job of picking out stuff..." I muttered sarcastically, dropping the bra back onto the counter in disgust. There really wasn't any other choice besides wearing them, though, so I groaned and slipped into the clothes, trying not to feel too violated. I wasn't used to clothes like this, sure, but a lot of girls dressed this way on a daily basis. I could last for one night.

I found a hairbrush under the counter, running it through my dark hair a few times in attempts to fix it before setting the brush aside again. There were parts of my hair that I definitely couldn't fix with just a brush, and I decided I was going to have to chop some of it off. I wearily picked up the hairdryer, biting my lip as I debated on if I should use it or not. After a few moments I set it back down, not wanting to take the ris. If my 'powers' had been able to knock out Tony's whole system, I didn't want to find out what they would do to a simple hairdryer. Besides, Tony was the only one who was going to see me, and I didn't think he would mind if I left my hair wet. He didn't seem to care much about the appearances of females, unless, of course, they looked dirty. Which, I supposed had. No wonder he was standoffish. I checked myself once more in the mirror, deciding I looked presentable, then opened the door and walked back out into the hall, tugging the ridiculous shorts down as much as I could to make myself feel more comfortable. They barely fit, due to my somewhat larger hips, but at least I got them buttoned. I made my way down the flight of stairs I had walked up earlier, running a hand through my damp hair as I turned the corner to enter the room I had last seen Tony in.

"Mr. Stark, explain to me why your shower is the most complicated thing I have ever—" I stopped talking and froze where I was standing as soon as I entered the room, my mouth gaping open. The large room that had been empty not twenty minutes before now held a couple more people. The two new men in the room stopped their conversation with Tony and turned towards me, confusion crossing their faces. I made a conscious effort to close my mouth as I stood stiffly, wishing even more now that Tony would have had the decency to buy clothes that were a little less revealing. He could have warned me that he was going to have company, at least. Not that I had much of a right to know; I was only the weird foreign girl who had caused nothing but problems so far.

"...So...what have we here, Tony?" The first man spoke up, running a hand through his curly brown hair. I recognized him instantly as Dr. Banner, otherwise known as The Hulk. Yet another scientist my father despised. He was wearing a purple button up shirt, his sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. Tony shot a playful grin at him.

"What does it look like I have?" Tony replied casually.

"Uh...a girl?" Dr. Banner raised an eyebrow, still inspecting me.

"Yes, it would appear so, wouldn't it?" he responded.

"You'd better not be cheating on Pepper, Tony. I'll have to beat you into next week." The second man spoke now, shooting Tony a harsh glare. I wanted to ask who he was, but then I noticed what he was wearing. Both his hair and his clothing were old fashioned, matching the style that had been popular in the forties. His blonde hair was slightly messy, but this build was the most recognizable thing of all. That, and those brilliant blue eyes. I grasped the edge of the couch firmly, my head spinning. He was Captain America.

"I'm not cheating on Pepper." Tony scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically. "And I'd like to see you try."

"We could go right now, Stark."

"Oh and by the way, Thor will be here soon. He has some portal issues." Tony added, ignoring the comment. My eyes darted around the room as I held the couch, my thoughts racing. I looked like hell. There were important people here, people so important that I could hardly fathom it, and I looked like I was a high class hooker who had just crawled out of some wreckage. I glanced at Tony frantically as the room fell silent, not sure what he wanted me to say. Was I supposed to talk to them? Or did he want me to leave, so they could talk amongst themselves? That would explain why he told me to take my time in the shower. I took a shaky breath in and squeezed the back of the couch. Dr. Banner shook his head lightly and stepped towards me, holding out his hand.

"I'm Bruce Banner. Although you may only know me as the angry green guy." He smiled politely and shook my hand, his hand surprisingly gentle. I nodded and cleared my dry throat.

"Of course. I know who you are..." I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. This day was filled with so much anxiety and excitement, I was surely going to have a heart attack. Dr. Banner—or, Bruce, I guess—let go of my hand and stepped back, nudging at Captain America gently. The blonde cleared his throat and made his way towards me, my heart pounding in my chest harder and harder as he got closer. He flashed me a gorgeous smile, stopping about a foot and a half in front of me.

"Ma'am," he said politely, holding out his hand. I stared at him in wonder, not sure if I could hold my excitement in much longer without bursting like a balloon. Captain America was going to shake my hand. Captain America, the comic man who I'd grown incredibly fond of, the man I was sure was dead, the man I wrote stupid letters to…He was even more handsome without his mask on, and I almost couldn't move my hand to shake his. It was an influx of intense emotions, and it was making my eyes burn again. I usually wasn't one to get so overworked over something so silly…but there was something inside of me that was going crazy. I noticed Bruce watching me, his face curious and a little amused. Slowly I raised my hand and took Captain America's, the blood running to my face and making my cheeks warm. "I'm Steve Rogers." he said. He squeezed my hand lightly, smiling a little. I nodded furiously, pulling my hand back to my side as soon as he released it.

"Yeah, I've heard of you," I stuttered. Tony cleared his throat loudly from the other side of the room, interrupting the moment and catching my attention. I turned and looked at him, Steve doing the same.

"Are you going to introduce yourself to the guys? Or do I have to do it for you?" Tony yelled across the room at me, even though I could have clearly heard him if he had spoken normally.

"Oh! I forgot." I cleared my throat, embarrassed, straightening out my back and shoulders to look more formal. I took a deep breath and turned back to the two men, giving them a polite and bright smile and trying to stop shaking. "I'm Annabelle Green." I said, holding my breath for a moment. The words had still come out uncontrollably shaky, which in combination with my accent made my words almost too hard to understand. "Annabelle Sawyer Green." I repeated, a bit clearer. As soon as I finished speaking Bruce's eyes widened in curiosity, and Steve, as strange as it felt to call him that, looked mildly confused. Both seemed to be taken aback by my introduction, examining me for a few seconds before they turned to look at Tony, who was grinning ear to ear. They seemed to plunge into a silent conversation as I just stood there, once again not entirely sure what to do with the situation.

Finally, after a few moments of awkward silence, Steve turned back around to face me, butterflies fluttering through my stomach.

"You're the girl who died," he said. I nodded, though I was too nervous to really process what he had said. "But you clearly survived." I blinked and focused more on the conversation, taking a deep breath.

"Not sure how or why, but I guess I did," I responded quietly, shrugging my shoulders weakly. Tony must have shared the news with them. Unless by some strange coincidence they had also been watching Japanese live coverage in the middle of the night. That seemed unlikely.

"There's always a reason," Steve replied.

"I suppose," I said, lowering my voice even more. Talking about my 'almost death' made me feel even sicker, my heart pounding in my ears. I saw Tony check his watch curiously, narrowing his eyes for a few seconds and then sighing loudly, dramatically.

"I wonder when Thor is going to be here. He's missing out on all the fun," Tony mumbled.

"We're having fun?" I asked, only half aware at what I had said. After a few seconds I flushed and looked down, though I heard a few chuckles from across the room. I smiled a little to myself and looked down at my outfit uneasily, still paranoid about how I looked. "Do you have any other clothes I could wear? Maybe some longer pants?" I asked slowly, lifting my head, hoping he wasn't offended by my dislike of his clothing. Tony shook his head, clearly not bothered by my asking.

"Unfortunately I don't. I have Pepper's stuff, but I didn't think you'd fit, because, you're…" He made a weird hourglass motion with his hands, my cheeks flushing. Steve whacked his shoulder, making him stumble a bit to the side. He gave him a look with wide eyes, holding his hands out to the side in a 'what gives' gesture.

"I think Pepper might have left a robe here. You can go look for it if you want. It'll be either in my room or the bathroom," he added, then looked at Steve for approval. He only shook his head. I started up the stairs, eager to get out what I was wearing. Besides, I didn't think I could handle being around them anymore. I was going to explode.

Climbing the stairs again made me realize how tired I was becoming, my eyes heavy, but I couldn't possible fall asleep with all the excitement. There was so much I had to ask them, things about their lives and how to deal with abilities and everything in between. By the sound of it, they had a lot to ask me, too. I had to find something to keep me awake. Maybe coffee...or chocolate. Or maybe I could do some intense exercises, though that didn't sound appealing at all at the moment. There had to be something to keep me up.

I got that 'something' when I reached the top of the stairs and immediately ran headfirst into a hard mass, stumbling backwards and tripping over my sore feet. I let out a small scream in shock and flailed my arms as I tipped backwards, down the stairs, but someone grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back up before I had the chance to roll. I blinked a few times to focus my eyes, finding myself staring straight into the godly face of Thor. Yes, Thor. I recognized the face immediately, chiseled and perfect, his blonde hair falling slightly past his shoulders, his crystal blue eyes gleaming. The news had mixed feelings about him, but I definitely knew how I felt. If he was a hero he was good in my book. I swallowed hard and simply stared at him as he held my shoulders firmly, a look of shock crossing his face.

"I apologize. You nearly fell down the stairs." he spoke, his voice like melted chocolate even though it was lined with guilt. I shook my head quickly, taking in his features yet again. A strand of his golden hair fell across his concerned face, his eyes hovering over me.

"It's okay. I wasn't…looking..." I sputtered, my words tripping over each other like my clumsy feet. Thor released his hold on my shoulder, making sure I was balanced before taking a step back and standing up straight. He looked so regal, it was hard not to bow down and kiss his feet.

"I do not believe we've met," he spoke up, squinting his eyes to get a better look at me.

"I'm Annabelle Green," I answered quickly, flashing him one of my fake, flawless smiles. He gave me a grand smile in return, his teeth unimaginably white.

"So you're the reason we are all here. Stark called us all because he said he wanted us to meet someone important." I flushed as he paused for a second, raising an eyebrow. "Are you...sparking?" he asked. I quickly looked down at my hands, which were indeed sparking with a strange electric blue color, like little shocks of electricity running over my skin. I raised my hands and turned them back and forth, observing the little shocks as they occurred. How was I sparking? And why? Thor took my hands in his, my face heating up even more as he ran his thumbs over my skin, enthralled. "This is interesting." He lifted his eyes and met mine, giving me another smile. He suddenly grabbed me and swung me up over his shoulder before I could protest, running me down the stairs at a terrifying speed. I squeaked in surprise and held on for dear life as he bounded down multiple steps at a time, my hair whipping up around my face. As we reached the bottom he set me down, grabbing me by the shoulders and spinning me around to face the others, my body swaying.

"What is she?" he demanded, squeezing my shoulders slightly. I was still flustered from being picked up, and, well, from everything else in this day, so I could do nothing but stand there quietly. Tony crossed his arms and grinned widely, leaning against the back of the couch.

"I have no idea."


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone in the room watched me curiously, my face flushing deeply for what seemed to be the millionth time tonight. I was going to have to learn to keep the blushing to a minimum if I didn't want to look like a tomato during my time here. I took a deep breath and tried not to move as Thor picked up a piece of my still damp hair, studying it as if it were something he had never seen before. He dropped it when he was finished, moving behind me and putting a hand to my bare neck, his fingers reaching through my hair. A chill ran down my spine and I stiffened, trying to keep still. Clearly sensing my nerves, Bruce finally spoke up.

"Annabelle, are you uncomfortable? Is there anything we can do? I'm sorry this is probably extremely awkward for you, but we have to make sure you aren't a threat," he said calmly. "Not that we think you are a threat, of course. Just making sure." He smiled at me and I gave a weak one in response, my teeth clenched.

"I'm fine," I said, barely louder than a whisper. Bruce and Tony exchanged a look before Tony cleared his throat, smacking Thor on the arm. Thor pulled his hand back from my neck and looked up at Tony, who gave him a stern look. He moved from behind me to stand in front of me, still studying me from afar.

"Do you want to sit down? You can sit on the couch if you want." Tony offered, that amused expression coming over his face again. He seemed to be getting enjoyment out of my unease. I looked down at my shaking legs, taking a deep breath in, and then nodded. Sitting was probably a very good idea. I made my way across the room and sat down on one of the fancy couches, feeling instantly more comfortable and a little bit more at ease. I wasn't sure what the couch was made of, but it was magical. The others followed and sat near me, still observing me like I was some science experiment. Once again, Bruce was the one to start the conversation.

"So, Annabelle, how old are you?" He pulled a small tablet from a nearby table, sliding his finger across the screen.

"Twenty three," I said.

"And how tall?" He retrieved his glasses from his front pocket, sliding them into place.

"Around one hundred sixty eight centimeters, I think."

"…and in feet?" Steve asked.

"About five-six, Steve," Bruce answered. He nodded.

"Can you do anything unusual?" Bruce asked, looking up at me from his tablet.

"I…definitely. But I don't know how. It only started happening today," I paused and thought about it, then continued. "After the explosion."

"Tell them how you managed to get to New York. And what caused the explosion," Tony chimed in. I swallowed and nodded, clearing my throat. I knew I shouldn't have told him all the details of what happened. I didn't really want to explain it again. But, I had no choice now.

"…I got mad at my father, so I blew up his lab with some weird bomb he had been working on," I muttered. Steve raised an eyebrow, and Bruce wrote something down on his tablet. "…And then obviously there was an explosion. But there must have been some freaky drugs or chemicals in that lab, because my body walked itself across the ocean from Japan to New York. I think. I'm still having trouble believing that, but that's what I've got right now. And then I woke up, I hacked Stark Tower, and now I'm here." I started talking a little faster towards the end, hoping none of them thought I was a horrible liar. When I finished, though, they stayed silent. It took a few moments before anyone said anything, and that person, of course, was Bruce.

"How exactly did you walk across the ocean?" he asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. I was out the whole time. And, again, there's probably some other explanation…"

"Can you explain how you hacked Tony's tower?"

"I don't really know that either. But I could feel the energy moving through the building, like a sort of stream, and I got excited...and..." I put my head in my hands, more confused than ever as I tried to explain myself. All of my thoughts were so jumbled in my head, and trying to make sense of everything was making my temple throb. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm sorry..." I was growing more and more tired by the second, and my aching head wasn't helping me keep my eyes open.

"It's okay. You look exhausted. Do you have anywhere to stay for the night?" he asked. I shook my head, pinching the bridge of my nose and squeezing my eyes shut.

"My father either thinks I'm dead or hates me for what I did. No matter what, there is no way I can go home. I guess if I could somehow get my father's credit card information I could rent a hotel room and-"

"She's staying here," Tony interrupted me, looking at Bruce. He nodded. I looked at Tony in surprise, though a wave of relief rolled over me. If I had somewhere safe like this to stay, maybe I would have time to sit and figure things out for myself. That was all I wanted at this point.

"You'd let me stay here?" I asked, to which he nodded.

"Of course. I've got plenty of room." He grinned and made a grand gesture around the room, as if making the point that this place was huge. Of course, that point had already been made. Steve groaned.

"If she's staying here then I'm staying here too. There is no way she is staying in this house alone with you," he muttered.

"Why do you say that? I'm not a pervert." Tony narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, though that hint of a sly smile was still hiding behind his stern face.

"Right. What were your words for it? Oh yeah. I believe it was 'Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist'?" Steve rolled his eyes and Tony scoffed, his smirk growing.

"You forgot genius."

"Not the point. If she stays here, I stay here." Steve glared at Tony, though there was a light side to this argument that I could feel. They didn't hate each other, necessarily. They just had different views. And at this point in time, their different views were about me.

"You just missed me and needed some excitement in your life, didn't you?" Tony joked. Steve shook his head, turning away from him. I sat there silently and let everything sink in, the blood rushing to my face again. Captain America was going to stay in the same building as me. He was practically fighting for it. I had to concentrate on not drooling. If I freaked out about the situation, no one would want to stay with me. I pinched my arm hard, feeling ridiculous as my thoughts about him went out of control.

"Well, looks like someone has already developed an attachment," Tony sung mockingly. Steve tensed, his jaw tightening.

"Do you know how immature you are?"

"Yes. That's why I'm fun. And you're not."

"...I don't need to be 'fun'."

"Just easy." Tony grinned to himself.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh nothing. Don't worry grandpa."

"You see what I mean? You're so rude."

"I try." Tony and Steve continued on with their bickering and I sighed, turning around to survey the room. I spotted my cell phone on the coffee table and reached for it slowly, hoping not to catch anyone's attention. The others seemed to be involved in Steve and Tony's fight, so I didn't think anyone would freak out about me moving. If they still thought I was a threat, they had to be pretty stupid.

I could hardly believe that my phone had survived the explosion. Jarvis must have fished it out of my pants when I was in the shower and delivered it here. I held it and looked at the screen which was cracked in multiple places. It seemed to still work, though, miraculously. I clicked a few buttons to check to see if I'd missed any calls; I hadn't. No one really acknowledged my existence in my family, and I didn't seem to have any friends since I was forced to be alone most of the time. Father homeschooled me and never let me out with people, so there was no way I could have even attempted to make a friend. The only friends I made were the drunk people who came to my father's parties, and they were hardly the type to call someone like me while they were sober. It was stupid for me to even have the phone, though apparently my father thought it a good idea. I could hardly remember even getting it. It was just there one day, sitting on my desk and not being used. The only one who ever called me was my cousin, the same cousin who had first introduced me to Captain America comics, but she was a little obnoxious and I had no desire to call even her right now. She probably thought I was dead as well, anyway. No point in letting her know I was alive. At least, not until I had things figured out.

I turned my attention back to the argument, hoping it was almost over.

"At least I'm not a virgin," Tony chimed.

"Your father would be disappointed in you."

"Don't you dare bring my father into this."

"Howard was a good guy. I don't know what happened to you."

"Excuse me? I am-" Tony was cut off by a beeping noise, which turned into a little jingle. I realized it was my phone and stared at it, not sure if I should be embarrassed that it went off or excited that someone was calling me. Everyone turned their attention to me as I sat there, feeling self-conscious.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"Who is it?" Bruce leaned over the couch above me and looked at the screen. I looked down as well and held my breath.

"...It's my father..." I said in disbelief. His name flashed across the phone as it rang on, but I was too afraid to answer it. Tony walked around the couch and plopped down next to me, holding out his hand.

"Give it to me. I'll talk to him. He sounds like a douchebag that needs a good talking to," he said roughly. I stared at him and held my phone to my chest defensively.

"No!" I yelled frantically.

"Did he just call her dad a douchebag?" Steve whispered to Thor behind me, just loud enough for me to hear. I shot him a look.

"I think so. I believe that's disrespectful...am I correct?" Thor whispered back.

"Yes. It's an insult."

"What is a douche exactly? And why is it in a bag?" I looked over my shoulder and gave Thor a look as well, my fear outweighing his comical remark.

"You don't want to know Thor. Just leave it," Bruce commented, his voice hushed. Thor looked confused, but after a few moments he nodded. My phone chimed one last time and then stopped, my heart slowing down immediately. I let out a breath of relief and let it fall to my lap. Tony narrowed his eyes and leaped for it, but I was ready. I snatched the phone and threw in on the floor as Tony attacked me, knocking us both onto the hard ground. I blinked and stared up at him in shock, his arc reactor warm against my body. At this close range it was easy for me to feel all of the energy running through that thing, but even I knew it was too risky for me to play with it to get him off of me. Thor, Bruce and Steve peered over the edge of the couch at us, a different look on each of their faces. Bruce looked amused. Thor looked perplexed. And Steve looked downright exhausted at the situation. I focused my eyes on Tony again.

"Please get off," I said, tired. Tony grinned.

"If you want me off, you'll just have to use your powers to throw me off."

"I don't think that's such a good idea Stark," Steve said, looking at me warily. Clearly he had thought about the dangers of messing with Tony's arc reactor as well. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Really Captain, I can take care of myself. What could she do? She can't hurt me." My anger was rising more and more with every word he said, that odd, seething anger, and he grinned even wider.

"Isn't that right Annabelle? You're just a worthless little-" The electricity raced through me and I shoved him off, sending him at the wall...and through it. It took me a few moments for that sudden seething anger to subside, but when it did I scrambled up and ran after him, running through the hole in the wall. That anger was replaced by fear, and a little bit of guilt. Still, there was some satisfaction in the back of my mind that I couldn't shake.

"I'm so sorry!" I said as I lifted a few chunks of rubble off of him and helped him up. He coughed and brushed some plaster out of his hair and off of his shoulders, his dark eyes glistening. To my relief, his arc reactor was still glowing strong.

"That was fantastic." He smiled at me, then patted my cheek. "And call me Tony, please, I hear enough of 'Mr. Stark' everywhere I go." By now the others had showed up, peering through the hole at us. Steve headed straight for the edge, running his fingers along the broken wall.

"That's a big hole..." he mumbled. Bruce came up behind me and tapped me lightly on the shoulder, waiting until I turned around to give me a slight smile.

"If you don't mind, can I take your pulse?" he asked calmly. I blinked and nodded slowly, holding out my arm. He grabbed my wrist and pressed his fingers against it, staying silent for a few moments as he counted the beats in his head. Steve, finishing his inspection of the hole, came over to where we were, examining my face for a second, then looking into my eyes. I stared back at him, feeling embarrassed at the look he was giving me.

"...what color eyes do you have?" he asked, finally.

"Green," I replied slowly.

"That's what I thought," he said. "Dr. Banner, don't you find that interesting?" Steve turned to Bruce, his face curious. Bruce removed his fingers from my wrist and glanced at my eyes before turning to Steve.

"Very. And her heartbeat is pretty interesting too," he replied. I stood there, feeling utterly confused. I wished someone would explain what was so strange about me, instead of talking about me like I wasn't even there.

"What's wrong with my heartbeat? And my eyes?" I asked, feeling left out. Bruce raised his hand and covered my eyes for a moment, the world going dark, and then lifted it, looking at my face. I shifted uncomfortably at how close he suddenly was, but I tried to reassure myself that he was just doing doctor things. I was used to people like my father poking and prodding me. This wasn't so different.

"She's not dilating either. I wonder..." He looked around and then looked back at me. "Come with me, please." He held out his hand and I took it slowly, still confused as to what was going on. Why couldn't they just tell me what the deal was? Bruce lead me away from the group and towards a closed door, no light spilling from underneath. He pulled the door open and walked inside the dark room, which looked to be a bedroom upon closer inspection. I stiffened as he shut the door, leaving us in pitch black of the room. "Close your eyes." he told me, which freaked me out even more. What was he doing? Why here? I could hear his footsteps as he walked, closer and closer to me, and then stopped. My breath caught. I couldn't explain why I felt so fearful of the situation.

"Okay. Open," he said. I did so and looked at his face, which seemed to be illuminated by some kind of blue light. I wasn't even going to comment on how close he had gotten. Again. He grinned, his smile lit up by the odd light. "Well isn't that something..."

"Can you please tell me what's going on?" I asked quietly, uncomfortable. Bruce looked at me silently for a few more seconds and then nodded.

"I'm just making sure what ever happened to you isn't killing you. It doesn't appear to be, but I'm still not sure. Plus, I'm curious." He smiled a little and held out his hand again. "Let's go back out to the others before Tony makes some crude joke about us being in here. Which he will. Try not to be bothered by him. I know sometimes the things he says can be upsetting, but he doesn't mean it." He seemed so calm when he talked, as if nothing bothered him. Somehow it made me feel calmer too. I nodded and followed him out the door, glad to be back in the light. Tony made his way towards us, that dangerous smirk already in place.

"So. Two people go into a dark bedroom and-"

"Her eyes glow blue." Bruce cut him off before he could say anything else. Tony's mouth hung open from his last sentence, and he slowly closed it.

"Yeah, I know," he responded. Steve and Thor stepped towards us, their faces curious. This was news to me. That explained the blue light in the room. Had that been me...? It seemed crazy to think that my eyes could produce that much light.

"My eyes glow? How? Why?" I asked, but was ignored.

"And her heart rate is far faster than I have seen in any human. In normal circumstances, and if she were human, her heart would have stopped by now," Bruce continued as if I hadn't even said anything. I stared at him in awe, not sure what to say. If I were human? I was human! What was he talking about? I started to get light headed, my body swaying a little, but no one seemed to notice.

"Fantastic." Tony grinned at me. I stayed silent, not sure how to react to the situation. Steve narrowed his eyes and walked closer to me, grabbing my wrist and holding it tightly for a few moments. I stared at him with wide eyes as he examined my arm, and then let it go, suddenly.

"She's hot," he commented, completely serious. Tony started laughing, breaking the silence, and Steve groaned, his face flushing ever so slightly. "Oh come on, Stark. Be mature."

"I am the epitome of mature," Tony sputtered through his laughter. Steve sighed and shook his head. I stood there stiffly, butterflies erupting through my stomach. Everyone stared at Tony and waited for him to stop his laughing fit, which didn't seem like it was going to happen any time soon. My guess was that his sleep deprivation was finally getting to him. After a few minutes, which seemed agonizingly long, Thor growled and punched Tony in the arm, sending him sideways onto the floor. He hit the ground and grunted, stopping his laughter immediately.

"Done," Thor said seriously. Tony got back up and glared, rubbing his arm.

"Well that was a little harsh, don't you think?"

"No. Not at all." Tony looked like he was going to talk back, but Steve silenced him by pulling my phone out of his pocket and handing it to me. I stared at the phone for a second and then at Steve's face, confused.

"It rang again. I think. It made noise..." he said, waiting for me to take it. I slowly took it from him and looked at the screen, the voicemail icon flashing on and off. To my dismay, it was from my father.

"Excuse me," I mumbled, walking past them and to the corner of the room, as if this was all the solitude I needed for the situation. I dialed voicemail and listened to the message carefully, my heart beat accelerating again.

"Annabelle Sawyer Green. I know you aren't dead. They didn't find any of your remains...did you know that? There would have at least been something. Call me back and come home. Or I will make sure that you don't last much longer out there in the real world. You'll be dead by tomorrow if you don't come home. You know that." The voice on the other line was my father's, but I couldn't believe what he said. His German was harsh in comparison to the English I'd been speaking, his words clicking and snapping and making my stomach ball up in knots. I listened to it a few times over, still just as shocked every time. It sounded like if I didn't come home...he was going to kill me. He hadn't said it directly, but I could tell the meaning behind his words. 'You'll be dead by tomorrow'. That was a threat, if anything. I let my phone drop from my ear and fall to the ground, where it made a dull thud next to my feet. I knew my father wasn't the fondest of me, for whatever reason, but this was a whole new level. Was he capable of killing me? Someone walked over and picked my phone up off the ground, handing it to me, as if I wanted it. I looked over to see it was Steve, and by the look on his face I must have looked awful. I felt awful.

"...are you alright?" he asked quietly. I shook my head.

"My father's really angry," I whispered, fighting back tears. For some reason I still loved that fool. He was my father, after all. Hearing his threats, his cold voice on the other end of that phone call that didn't even ask if I was okay, made me want to throw up.

"We won't let him hurt you. I promise," Steve said quietly, only to me, his breath warm as he bent over to speak to me. I shifted my eyes to him, my vision blurry from tears. I hadn't mentioned my father's abuse to anyone, yet Steve seemed like he knew exactly what was going on. Did he? Was I obvious? "I promise you," he repeated.


	6. Chapter 6

"_Father? Can I go play outside in the rain like the other children?" My memories flooded into me. A young Annabelle was standing at the window looking out at the rain, which I had always longed to touch. Sure, I had been in the rain one or two times before, but never for very long. I wanted to stand there and let it rain on me for hours. My tiny hand was pressed against the window as I watched the other children play from far away, splashing around in their rain boots and warm coats. They were the closest thing we had to neighbors, though they were still fairly far from our home. I didn't even know their names. But whenever it rained they were out there, a brother and sister, frolicking through the rain. Mocking me. I ripped my eyes away from them and turned, clasping my hands behind my back. My father was at his desk as he always was, working on something new._

"_Annabelle, rain is for average children, and you don't have any time for playing. Do you really want to get all wet? Then you'll have to wash your clothes," he grumbled back in German. He didn't once look up at me. He could have at least had the decency to make eye contact when we were having a conversation._

"_I don't mind washing my clothes. I really want to go outside. Just for a little bit? Please?"_

"_Don't beg Annabelle. It makes you sound needy and weak." He stood and left the room, just like that, indicating that our conversation was over. I frowned and continued to watch what I couldn't have. To the other children, I was just the little foreign girl that peered at them through the window day after day. I wanted to cry, but I knew father would be mad so I held it in. 'Crying isn't lady like.' he would say. 'Crying isn't for people like you.'. Who did he think I was? I was just a little girl...but that didn't matter to him. I was his daughter, and as he put it, 'No daughter of mine will grow up to indulge in such foolish things. You must work so that perhaps one day you won't be so helpless.' But I was helpless, and everything he did only made me more helpless. My father didn't allow me to do anything or be with anyone, and our housekeepers always did everything for me. I had plenty of time to waste, and nothing to do._

_My mother came into the room, her face bright and happy. She was the complete opposite of my father, always so cheerful and free. She wanted to do so many fun things with me, but then she got sick. Now she wasn't able to even leave the house much, except for things she absolutely needed to do. She had her dark brown hair tied in a messy ponytail, a few loose strands hanging over her face._

"_Why the long face, Annie?" she asked me in Russian. Russian was the language I knew best, even when my father spoke German. My mother stopped beside me and crouched down, tickling my sides. I giggled, something that I didn't get to do often._

"_I was just watching the kids play in the rain. Father says I have to stay inside." I turned to her, grasping one of her hands with my small fingers. "Is the rain cold this time of year, mama? If you stand out there for a long time, do you get shivers?" I asked curiously. My mother examined my face for a while and then smiled, showing her brilliant teeth._

"_Why don't we find out?" She took my hand and led me to the door. I pulled my rain boots and jacket on, things I had rarely worn. I didn't know why my father had even bothered to buy them for me. I tugged on my mother's sleeve, worry in my eyes._

"_Mama, what about father? Won't he be mad?" My father was mad a lot at my mother, and I hated seeing her get yelled at. At least he didn't hit her. She was too frail for that. _

"_I'll deal with him. Don't you worry about it, my darling." She bopped her finger on my nose and opened the front door, taking me outside. The cold chill hit me immediately as I ran out into the rain and spun around, giggling with joy. The rain felt so nice and cool on my face, the water running down my skin. It was wonderful. I pranced around in the rain, but stayed close to my mother's side. I didn't want to leave her alone. I never wanted to._

"_Is it nice, darling?" she took my hands and spun me around like a ballerina._

"_It's amazing! How is it so cold, mama? And where does it come from?" I spun around again and stared up into the dark sky in awe. My mother laughed._

"_You know where it comes from. Water builds in the clouds and then it comes back to earth."_

"_I know...condensation...but it's seems so much like magic!" My mother smiled and took my hands in hers, beginning to waltz with me, setting me on her feet and spinning me around. I laughed happily and closed my eyes, feeling more amazing than I had in a very long time._

"_Annabelle?" The voice sounded distant and familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I never wanted to leave this memory. I wanted it to play in my head forever. But all things had to end. After a few minutes of playing and dancing in the rain, my father stormed out, taking me by the wrist. My mother snatched me from him and pushed me behind her defensively, like she always had. My mother may have been small, but she was an extremely strong woman._

"_She's having fun Harry. Let her be." she said harshly, in English, the language they both shared._

"_She's got no time for fun!" my father snapped, grabbing me away from her. I had learned not to fight my father, so I just watched as the look of hopelessness crossed over my mother's face. "She can't be carefree like this, Emilia. Please, let me do what's best for you, my love." The grip my father had on my wrist hurt, but I didn't want to get in trouble, so I never said anything. He tugged me inside and away from my mother, and I watched her in dismay over my shoulder. She went into a coughing fit then, probably due to the cold. She held her chest and coughed violently, bent over in pain. Sadly, this was a common scene._

"_Mama? Are you okay?" I yelled back to her, still being pulled along. I tried to get away from my father, but his grip was too tight._

"_You won't help her," he yelled, throwing me inside the door. I hit the floor hard, lucky enough to land on my arms instead of my face. I could still hear my mother coughing from outside, and I scrambled up to see if I could run past my father to go see her. I tried to duck under his legs, but he held me down with his foot. One of our house nurses scurried past me and out the door to tend to my mother, easing some of my worry. She wouldn't let my mother die. She couldn't. My father stood me up and looked down on me, expressing his dominance. _

"_I told you not to go outside."_

"_But-"_

"_But nothing. You disobeyed my orders." He raised his hand and slapped it across my fragile face. I could have gotten up to fight him back, but I was too scared. Always. It stung, like I was being pricked repeatedly with tiny needles._

"_I'm so sorry, father," I whimpered in Japanese, rubbing my cheek. When I was frightened I tended to speak Japanese, because I had spoken it so comfortably with our housekeepers. It was the language that I knew better than my father and mother did, and in times when I felt weak I found myself using it. It was the one thing I had that made me feel like I was something when I couldn't fight back in any other way. My father grumbled angrily under his breath and walked back into his office, slamming the door._

"_Annabelle?" The voice rang again through my ears, though I couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was. I slowly stood and walked to the bathroom to check my face, which was already forming a large bruise. I wouldn't be able to leave my room until it healed, because my father feared the housekeepers would tell the authorities. 'They have no right to tell me how to raise my children' he always said. He never wanted to play by the rules of the world, because he claimed the world had wronged him so many times. And maybe it did, but I never thought that was a good reason to be so cruel._

"Annabelle wake up!" I was pulled out of my memory as my shoulders shook, my eyes shooting open in surprise. I blinked a few times to get out of my daze, finding that the one shaking me was Steve. He sighed a little in relief and released my shoulders, his frame relaxing. I sat up slowly to find myself laying on the couch in the living room, the others scattered around the room.

"See. I told you it would work." Tony said. "Just give someone a good scare and they will wake up. Right, Bruce?" He turned to Bruce, who was sitting in a fancy armchair.

"Don't remind me." He said grimly, though there was a slight smirk on his face. Tony grinned and then looked down at me, coming to stand by the edge of the couch. I was starting to think that grin of his was a permanent feature of his face.

"You okay there? We thought you weren't going to wake up."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I grumbled, thinking about my memory. It wasn't long after that when my mother passed away. That was one of the last times I ever saw her. "What happened to me?" I asked.

"You passed out after listening to the voice mail from your father," Steve answered, handing me a tall glass of water. I took it from him and drank a few sips slowly, not wanting to seem rude and chug it. I hadn't realized how thirsty I had gotten.

"You're lucky the Captain was next to you when it happened. It's thanks to him that you didn't land on the floor," Tony commented, turning around to survey a small electrical box on the wall. He seemed like he was already bored with the conversation, and had moved on to something else.

"Well," I cleared my throat and looked over at Steve, who was still standing near the side of the couch, watching me with concern. "Thank you, Captain Rogers."

"You're welcome. And, you can call me Steve if you want." He stood up from his kneeling spot beside me and stretched his arms out, taking a deep breath. I lightly touched my cheek, inhaling, the memory of my father still present in my mind.

"Is there a reason you're doing that?" Bruce had stood up and walked over to where I was, examining my face. For someone so quiet, he sure was quick to call someone out on some simple gesture like that. I quickly lowered my hand and shook my head, not wanting to explain.

"Just a subconscious movement," I said. He narrowed his eyes, clearly not giving up.

"That's what I'm worried about. Annabelle, have you ever broken a bone before?"

"That's kind of a strange question," I started, shifting uncomfortably. "Yes, I have."

"Which bone?"

"Both arms, one leg, a few ribs, my nose, my spine, and my wrist." I listed off, ignoring the few looks that I got. There were more; Honestly, it was hard for me to think of a bone I hadn't broken. Some were due to my father's wacky experiments, others his bad temper. As for the rest, I could be pretty clumsy sometimes.

"Any recently?" Bruce asked, after a few moments of thinking.

"My wrist was the most recent."

"How long ago was that?"

"...maybe a week ago? I'm not really sure." I looked down. "Things are...kind of foggy." My memory had never been good. At least, not that I could remember. It was incredible I did so well with school work when sometimes I could barely remember what clothes I'd worn the day before.

"Can I see it?" He held out his hand. I nodded and offered my right arm out to him, letting him take my wrist in his hands. He made a twisting motion and I winced, a dull pain shooting up my arm. "Sorry. I know it hurts."

"It's alright," I said quickly. It didn't hurt too terribly bad, even though the break had been recent. I was known to heal fast, even when I was younger. Although, I was sure the explosion damage had set me back a bit.

"How did you break your wrist?"

"I..." I fell silent and thought for a moment before talking, wanting to say the perfect thing. Of course, I said something stupid instead. "...I don't remember." I did remember this one, though. My father had told me to make a cup of coffee for him, since his business was having a rough spurt, and we had to let go of the majority of our housekeepers. My father was pretty stressed, so I tried to do all I could to help. On my way back I had stumbled and tripped, spilling his coffee all over his shirt. It was an older shirt, but it had been expensive. Furious, my father took my wrist and threw me. It was only my bad luck that I hit the window, falling out onto the roof of the deck. I caught my fall, but had broken my wrist in the process. I was sure I had scars on my back and arms from the glass, but my hair must have been covering it. Even with my ability to heal quickly, I couldn't get rid of my scars.

"You don't remember how you broke your wrist?" Bruce didn't seem to believe me. I didn't blame him. It was a stupid thing on my part to say. I shook my head. "...I don't think you're being honest with me. Annabelle, I'm a doctor. I want to help you." he added, softer. I shook my head again.

"I am being honest." I lied. Bruce looked over his shoulder at Tony, who whispered something into Steve's ear. Steve gave him a quizzical look and then nodded, kneeling by me again.

"Annabelle, we all want to help you. Just tell us what happened," Steve said. I hesitated, biting my lip. Tony must have figured out my strange idolization of Steve, though I couldn't imagine how. Had he guessed? He was a genius, after all. Maybe he had. Or, maybe I was so unbelievably obvious with my feelings that everyone knew. That made me uncomfortable.

"I fell." I said, slowly.

"How did you fall?" Steve pressed on.

"I, uh," I struggled over my words, trying to find a convincing lie.

"Would it be better if you two talked alone?" Bruce suggested. I took a panicked look at him and shook my head.

"He'll tell you anyway. What does it matter?" I mumbled. Bruce sighed.

"I suppose you're right."

"Please Annabelle? We just want to help," Steve chimed in again. I sighed.

"I walked by a glass window, tripped, and fell a few stories. No big deal." I said, my tone mildly annoyed. I was more scared than bothered, though. My father's abuse was still a very sensitive thing for me, even if everyone was just trying to help. I could only hope my lying was enough to keep the truth from coming out.

Bruce looked at me, worry lining his face.

"What did you trip on?" He asked. My body tensed.

"My own feet. Look, I don't want to talk about it. It's embarrassing."

"Are you sure you're being honest with me?"

"I don't know how much more I can give you. I'm clumsy. It's embarrassing. We're done. We've talked about it. Can we stop?" I felt a little bad at the look on his face as I snapped at him, but was relieved when he nodded his head.

"Alright. Do you want a brace of any sort for it?" Bruce asked, finally setting my sore wrist down. I bit down hard on my lip.

"No. It's fine. It's getting better."

"You're sure?"

"I am. It would probably already be healed if it wasn't for the house falling on me. But that's my own fault…again." I pulled on my shirt, making sure it was fully covering my stomach. I had plenty of scars that, though faint, Bruce could probably easily spot. The last thing I wanted was for him to ask how I had gotten all of them. Some of them I wasn't even sure about, anyway. I could lie about the wrist, but I wasn't sure how much I could cover up the rest of them. For now the explosion would be a good excuse.

"I want you to remember that everything I do is to help you. I'm a doctor. This is what I do," he said, taking a deep breath. "This may be awkward for you, but I need you to remove your top." My eyes grew wide. Tony let out a small laugh behind us, but stopped as Bruce turned his head and shot him an intimidating look.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked quietly. Bruce shook his head and glanced back at me.

"I need to check for further injury. You've been to hell and back, and I'm sure you've got the wounds to show it. Let me help."

"No way!" I quickly stood up and leaped over the couch, landing softly on my feet on the other side. I heard someone grunt in surprise, but didn't turn around to look, fear coursing through me. I didn't want anyone to see what sorry state my skin was in. And it was probably even worse now after all I'd been through. I started running to the nearest door, nearly crashing into Thor as he was coming into the room. He moved out of my way and watched me, his eyebrow raised with concern and confusion. I stopped running and hid behind him, using him as a sort of safe house. I was so exhausted still, continuing to run was probably going to kill me.

"What is going on?" Thor asked. Bruce, standing now, let out a deep sigh.

"Just doctor things, Thor."

"Bruce wants to take her shirt off," Tony elaborated. Thor stared at them for a while and then glanced down at me. I shook my head quickly, my breathing fast. He looked thoroughly confused. I almost felt bad for him.

"Why?" he asked slowly.

"Like I said, doctor things. Just grab her, please. But be gentle," Bruce said calmly. Thor turned around to do as he was told, but I sprinted away from him before he could, taking off down the hall.

"I'm on it!" Tony yelled from the other room. I swallowed hard and continued running, winding through the endless halls in search for a way out. This place was too big for me to even remotely know where I was, though I wasn't about to stop trying. I saw the stairs and sprinted to them, ready to run down them when I ran into something...hard. I stumbled backwards, nearly toppling over, and looked up to see Tony, wearing his suit. I stared at him for a moment in fear, my thoughts running rapid. It took me a moment, but soon my fear was relieved. Stark's suit ran on the energy from his arc reactor. I had already discovered earlier that I could shut down the suit easily without killing him.

"You're kind of stupid for a genius." I said, huffing, a few sparks snapping around my skin as they had before.

"Woah, no, no, don't you touch," he snapped as I grabbed the arm of the suit and sent a shock through it, the power very quickly shutting down. The suit's reactor darkened and the metal went limp, crashing to the ground. I seemed to be getting better at pinpointing my energy, though it didn't make my abilities any less confusing. I stepped over the suit and continued down the stairs swiftly. I leaped off the last step and took off down another hall, hoping this was the way out. I turned one more hall and, luckily, saw the entrance. I wasn't sure where I would go, but I didn't want to stay here and get examined. Not now, at least. I wasn't about to leave all of these people behind for good. But, again, I couldn't keep track of what I really wanted. My emotions were all over the place. I almost felt bad for being such trouble.

"You need to think before you act, Annabelle," I mumbled as I ran for the door. I heard a sudden rush of footsteps behind me as I stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked over my shoulder to see Steve, who was just a few feet behind me. My heart thumped and I picked up my pace, though Steve caught the end of my shirt before I could get away from him. I tripped forward, letting out a weird yell as I hit the concrete. Steve fell after me. He recovered quicker than I did and grabbed both of my shoulders, pinning me down so that I couldn't get away. I struggled for a moment before giving up, letting my head fall back on the concrete. I breathed heavily, my heart racing as I looked up at Steve, whose face wasn't that far from mine. I was so tired now that my vision was starting to fade in and out. I had no choice but to let him take me back in. I was becoming a walking embarrassment at this point.

"...fine. You got me." I mumbled tiredly.

"Sorry," he said, looking down at me sympathetically.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve escorted me back into the main room, where the others were still standing, waiting. I refused to look at Bruce as he walked towards me, putting a hand on my shoulder, which only made me more uneasy.

"Annabelle, I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable. I just want to make sure you are okay. Everyone else can leave...if you promise not to run away again."

"No promises..." I mumbled under my breath.

Bruce sighed, still examining my face, and then turned to nod at Steve. He nodded back in return. Yet another silent conversation. Steve cleared his throat and nudged Tony's arm, giving him a stern look. After a moment, Tony turned to Thor.

"Hey. Do you want to go see something cool in my room?" Tony asked casually, slipping his hands in his pockets. Thor raised his eyebrow, his defense immediately up.

"Is this a trap, Stark?"

"Thor, would I do anything like that to you?"

"Yes, you would."

"What if I told you I had an alien artifact?"

"…Truly?"

"Please come look at it. Just trust me."

"If something bad happens, I am going to tear down this tower of yours," he threatened, though the threat seemed somewhat lighthearted. Tony rolled his eyes and patted Thor's muscular arm, then started for the door. Once they were out of the room, and out of hearing distance, Bruce turned his attention to me.

"I hope you feel better with them out. I know they're both...intimidating in their own ways," he said, pulling his glasses out of his shirt pocket again and pushing them onto his face. "Once again, I'm sorry I have to ask you to do this. It will only be for a little while, then you can just…pretend it never happened. We both can. Alright?" I nodded slightly, trying to push my unease away, and peeked behind me. Steve was still present, arms crossed and his shoulder pressed against the wall.

"He's staying?" I asked, voice low. Bruce nodded his head once, his eyes shifting back behind me to Steve.

"He's just here to make sure you don't run again. He won't look, really. It's okay." Bruce gave me a small smile. I took a deep breath, biting my lip gently before sneaking another glance at Steve, my hands hovering nervously around the edge of my shirt. He had his back to us. I knew Bruce was right, that he wouldn't look, but I still felt flustered, strange butterflies fluttering nervously in my stomach. I tore my eyes away and focused my attention on the wall, grabbing the fabric of my shirt and pulling it up, over my head. I held it draped over my arms for a few seconds before letting it fall to the ground by my feet, a chill running down my spine as the air touched my bare skin. I was really wishing now that Tony had chosen something a little less lacy for a bra, but Bruce didn't seem to notice at all. His eyes shifted around my lower abdomen, a peculiar look on his face. This area was where I held most of my scars; it was my most vulnerable area. Many of these scars I couldn't even remember, though I wasn't upset by it. I'm sure I didn't want to remember all of the awful things that caused these permanent ridges in my skin.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Bruce lifted his hand up my torso, resting a finger at the top of my chest, where my most prominent scar was located. Just over my heart, obviously done with a surgical tool, was a large scar in the shape of what looked like a 't', the scarred tissue dark and abnormal looking against my olive skin. Bruce ran his finger down it gently, then looked at my face.

"Where did this one come from?" he asked, curiosity and concern lining his features. I took a deep breath and turned my eyes down, away from him.

"I don't remember." I said quietly.

"Annabelle, please let me help. You have to tell me the truth." He ran his tongue over his lips, lifting his eyes to meet mine. Worry lined his features.

"I am telling the truth," I said defensively, raising my voice a little. "I don't remember." I tilted my head up and gave him a serious look, my jaw clenched. He examined my face for a moment, his eyes locked on mine, before he finally nodded his head once.

"So, amnesia. You have amnesia. Did the explosion do this to you?" he asked slowly. I shook my head.

"I've had it for...a while. I don't remember. I can remember some things, little things, but a lot of my past is just…"

"Gone?"

"Yeah." I let out a sigh. "Gone." Bruce looked at me sympathetically, spreading his fingers out across my chest.

"Does this scar hurt? Is it sensitive?"

"It is a bit sensitive, I suppose." I looked down at his hand, then back up at him. He adjusted his glasses.

"I'm going to push on it, alright? Just to see how deep this may go," he said after a moment, looking at his own hand. "Is that okay?"

"I...yeah, I guess." I took a deep breath in, holding it for a moment before releasing.

"Okay. One, two...three," Bruce pushed his palm down hard over the scar, rippling pain suddenly engulfing my body as if the scar itself was tearing open. I gasped and quickly grabbed Bruce's wrist, squeezing it, pulling his hand away with all my strength. He quickly took a few steps back, surprised. I let go of him and took in a shaky breath, quickly falling over onto the couch's arm rest to sit.

"I'm…so sorry. Are you alright?" Bruce asked, guilt lining his features. I bit my lip and nodded a little, taking another slightly shaky breath. I hesitantly brought my hand up to my chest, gently touching the risen area on my skin. The pain was gone, though I could still feel the ache in my bones, my body tingling from shock.

"Why?" I sputtered, looking up at him, my breathing heavy. Bruce shook his head slowly, taking a few slow steps towards me.

"I don't know. It shouldn't be that sensitive, unless…" he carefully lifted my hand off my chest, examining it again. "How long ago did you get this scar? I know you can't remember how it happened, but there has to be some kind of time frame." I thought back to what I could remember of my life, my thoughts eventually focusing on the day where I had discovered the scar. I had been in the shower, and when I got out to dry my hair it was there, suddenly, red and raw looking, as if it hadn't healed fully yet. I remember being completely perplexed by it, wanting so badly to remember where it came from, but not being able to think back to find the answer. I'd questioned my father about it many times, but never got a straight answer.

"About...two years ago. I was twenty one." I said, slowly, looking at Bruce. "That's when I first noticed it."

"It's interesting." He slipped his glasses off and back in his pocket, turning around. "I'm going to go get you something. I'll be back." He left the room, leaving me in silence for a moment, until Steve cleared his throat. I slowly turned my body until I was facing him, his back still turned to me. I watched him awkwardly, glad that he had enough self-control not to turn around and look. In fact, he seemed to be studying the door as if he was completely unaware of the situation behind him. I smiled a little to myself, letting it sink in that Captain America himself was standing across the room from me. I looked down at myself, at the lace covered bra that was a size too small, and then looked back up at him. A million ideas ran through my mind, elaborate thoughts that almost made me blush. I was being ridiculous, of course, but I wanted to allow myself one little daydream before I got rid of all related thoughts completely. I couldn't function around him if I chose to keep these stupid fantasies around, and not being able to act normally was the last thing I wanted. I couldn't see him as anything now but someone who would help me get my life in order from now on, teenage dreams aside. I still couldn't figure out what it was about him that made me so crazy.

Bruce came back in a few minutes later, a jar of white cream in his hands. He stepped in front of me and screwed the lid off, smiling. I nearly had to force my eyes away from Steve's back.

"I told you he wouldn't look. This is Magnesium Sulfate cream. It should help that pain, a little. I find it helps almost any kind of ache, so maybe it'll work for you. Let's hope, huh?" I nodded once, turning my body towards him again and pushing my hair away from my chest, tilting my chin up a tad. Bruce dipped his fingers in the cream and lifted his hand to my chest, spreading it a little over the scar. As he pushed down gently on it, however, a wave of pain rolled over me again, my knees buckling suddenly. I gasped loudly as I fell to the ground, my knees knocking hard against the floor, black spots dancing across my vision. Bruce quickly set the cream down and looked at me, his eyes widened.

"Steve, I need your help," he said, looking across the room, where I assumed Steve was still standing. I could hear a shuffle of feet and then Steve was in front of me, lifting me up off the ground, holding onto me securely. I stared up at him, frightened. I had never felt so much pain in my life. Tears welled in my eyes as I brought my face down and buried it against the fabric of his shirt, my breathing coming in quick spurts. I felt my body convulse, another breathy gasp escaping through my lips.

"What's wrong? What's happening?" Steve asked, his words hard to hear over the buzzing in my ears. Bruce ignored him, yelling instead up at the ceiling.

"Jarvis, get Tony!"

"Yes, sir." Jarvis responded. A moment later, after a rush of footsteps, Tony and Thor returned to the room. I could feel their presence more than I could see them at this point, my vision almost completely black.

"What's wrong now?" Tony's voice echoed through the room, around the walls. Bruce shushed him, putting a hand on my back as a comforting gesture. Pain ripped across my chest. I felt as if my heart was being squeezed by an iron fist, the vessels popping and bloating from the force.

"I need you to take a look at this." Bruce gently patted my back and Steve turned me around, walking me towards Tony and Thor. I leaned back, using Steve's firm figure to keep me upright.

"What is doing this?" Thor asked, watching me almost curiously. I bit my lip and tried to stay standing, the pain making my brain fuzzy. My vision came in spurts. The rest of my body was becoming numb, as if shutting down.

"The scar on her chest was sensitive, so I gave her some magnesium sulfate." He held the little jar up, reading the label again to make sure he'd picked the right cream. "The effect happened almost immediately," he explained. I started to taste blood and realized I was biting my lip too hard, but I didn't care. That was the only thing stopping me from screaming.

"So, what, you think it's the cream? Do you think she's allergic?" Tony asked.

"I don't think an allergic reaction would be this serious right away. And it doesn't look like there is any irritation."

"Annabelle, what are you feeling?" Tony looked at me.

I couldn't speak, but I managed to lift a hand and gesture to my chest. I was trying to explain that it was my heart, that I felt like everything was going to split at the seams, but I wasn't sure I was getting that point across. Tony and Bruce exchanged a look before Tony turned his eyes back to me, watching me curiously. I didn't know what was so interesting...I just wanted it to stop. My legs gave out again and Steve quickly wrapped his arms around my torso, keeping me held up. I squirmed in pain and felt the blood from my lip run over my chin, dripping down onto my chest.

"Is someone going to do something about this, or are we just going to watch her suffer?" Steve asked, his voice irritated.

"Maybe if we wipe it off..." Bruce started, Thor already running out of the room in search for a cloth. In seconds he reappeared, a wet wash cloth in hand. He stepped forward and gently began wiping the cream off of my chest, occasionally glancing at my face to see if his efforts had any effect. At first, none of the pain subsided. It took several trips back and forth from the kitchen for Thor, repeatedly wringing the cloth out and coming back with it clean, before the pain began to lift. He finished wiping the cream off and I sunk back onto Steve, resting my head on his chest, a wave of relief from the lack of pain swelling over me. I took in a few rushed breaths and hung there limply, allowing my body to relax again. Bruce turned and ran to the kitchen, coming back with a glass of water and handing it to me. I waited a moment before gaining enough strength to lift my arm, taking it from him and putting it to my bloodied lips. I swallowed a big gulp of it, the liquid sparking and snapping violently as it ran down my throat. I quickly dropped the glass, which shattered as it hit the floor, showering my feet in water. Everyone flinched and looked at me, a blend of emotions on their faces. My throat ached. Actually, everything ached.

"I-I'm sorry," I said quickly, licking my lips nervously, the taste of blood still strong. I shifted my eyes down to the broken glass, shards sticking up places all across the floor. I tilted my head back to look at Steve, who was watching me with worry. He slowly lifted me up more, my feet off the ground, and brought me to the couch. He set me down gently, making sure to stay far away from touching my chest. I laid my head on the couch pillow and tried to breathe normally, putting a hand over the scar on my chest. It felt as if my heart had been hollowed out. I couldn't seem to collect my thoughts, my mind reeling. Slowly the others made their way towards me, gathering around the couch, watching me as if I were some sort of science experiment.

"So the water hurt, too?" Bruce asked curiously, taking the cloth from Thor's hands and wiping the blood off of my face, then wiping his fingers off. I nodded, watching his fingers move as if mesmerized, unable to produce words. I felt like my head was going to explode, my ears buzzing and my eyes fading in and out of focus. He furrowed his brows and sat silent for a moment, thinking to himself as he tossed the cloth onto the coffee table. I watched it fall, though I could see Thor out of the corner of my eye, watching my every move, mumbling to himself quietly.

"Are you sure you are of Earth?" he spoke up after a few minutes, breaking the strange silence of the room. I nodded my head once. He fell silent again.

"Well, if it helps at all, you look good in what you are wearing." Tony said, already joking again, probably to ease the tension. Everyone turned to look at him, giving him many different looks in response to the ridiculous statement. At this point I was too mentally and physically exhausted to be embarrassed, so I made no comment. "Remind me to take you out to get one that actually fits, though. I mean, I'm not complaining about that one. But...that's got to be uncomfortable. Everything all squished in there, tucked away like-"

"Tony," Steve interrupted him sternly. I glanced over at him, finding he had just a little bit of pink flooding his cheeks. I couldn't even bring myself to smile at this.

"Hey, just trying to lighten the mood," Tony said, scratching at the back of his neck. Steve shook his head.

"I wonder if she can..." Thor mumbled to himself suddenly, then trailed off, in his own world. Bruce bent down to take my pulse, pushing his fingers against my wrist and staying still for a minute, then nodding his head. He stood and turned to Tony.

"She should rest. Is there a room she can stay in?"

"Of course. Up the stairs and to the left, down that hall, there should be a few. Pick whatever you want."

"Thanks." Bruce looked to Steve, who took the hint and picked me up carefully, adjusting me in his arms for a moment before nodding. Bruce started out of the room and Steve followed, trying to hold me steady as he toted me up the stairs. I was starting to lose my vision again, so I didn't realize until we were already inside one of the rooms that we had even finished walking up the stairs, my head buzzing and fizzing. It felt as if several flies had tunneled into my ears and were now buzzing around inside my brain.

Steve laid me on a bed gently and pulled the covers over me, tucking me in securely before straightening his back. I let my eyes fall closed and started to drift to sleep almost immediately, the soft covers wrapping me in much needed warmth and comfort. It seemed like it had been so long since I had last laid down to sleep. It had been a long day. A _really _long day.

I listened halfheartedly as Steve and Bruce held a quiet, mumbled conversation, my mind already wandering with sleep in between their words.

"Someone will need to take shifts and watch her."

"Do you think she will last the night?"

"I…can only hope. Her condition is a lot more concerning than I expected. If she really did go through that explosion, and gained some sort of abilities from it, her body is going to be going through a lot of changes. It'll either thrive off of this new energy, or reject it."

"And if she rejects it?"

"She won't last very long, I'm afraid. I've never seen this specific type of energy, but I'm going to guess it follows the same pattern as the others I've experienced. It'll eat away at her until there's nothing left to eat."

"...and if she makes it?"

"I'd say we should test her when she's feeling better. See what she can do. She could be a big asset."

"Should we tell SHIELD? Fury?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"I don't know if he'll like this..."

"He won't, probably, given the circumstances. He won't trust her. I'm surprised Tony trusts her."

"You know why Stark trusts her."

"Maybe. Tony always has been weak for women like her...But he wouldn't let a threat stay this long. I know he sometimes doesn't make the best decisions, but I trust this one."

"We'll have to get Fury's input at some point. He'll find out whether we want him to or not. What if he doesn't want her around at all?"

"It doesn't matter. We'll keep her safe for as long as we can. She's been through enough."

"I know, but..."

I faded completely, not hearing a word more.


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up screaming, my heart pounding and sweat beading on my skin. The lights in the room buzzed loudly and flickered on and off, pulsing with my every heartbeat, my mind reeling from the nightmares I had just awoken from. Images of death and despair skipped through my mind; whether they were memories or just dreams, I couldn't tell. I tried to catch my breath, my body jolting in surprise as the door to my room flung open.

"Annabelle, what's wrong?" Bruce asked, rushing to my side. I took a calming breath and ran a hand through my hair, the sweat from my forehead collecting on my fingers. Disgusted and mildly embarrassed, I quickly stuffed my hand under the comforter.

"I...it's nothing...I just had a nightmare. That's all," I spilled out, my accent heavily lining my words. I opened my mouth to say something else and then closed my eyes, hanging my head. It was only a dream. I'd scared everyone over a dream.

Steve and Tony hovered near the door.

"Want to talk about it?" Steve asked, somewhat looking over Tony's shoulder. I shook my head, lifting my eyes to look up at him. I was sure I looked a mess, but right now that didn't seem to matter. I would have to be embarrassed about that later.

"I'm okay. I just need to breathe a little bit..."

"Do you want a glass of water?" Tony asked, to which I quickly shook my head. After what happened with the water last night, I didn't want to chance drinking any more this soon. Although, I would have to drink again eventually...  
"I only need some time. Let me shower and get dressed," I looked around at everyone and then looked down at my hands, still hidden by the comforter.

"I'll get you some of Pepper's clothes to change into," Tony said, crossing his arms. "They might be a bit of a tight fit, but they'll have to do for now. I'll have Jarvis drop them off when you're done showering."

"Thank you," I looked up at him gratefully. "And, please, thank Ms. Potts for me too."

"I will."

"Speaking of that," I said, "where is Ms. Potts?" The more I talked about other things, the more the horrid images from my nightmare got pushed away. Besides, I really was interested in the whereabouts of Tony's girlfriend. I was always impressed by how she seemed to deal with him.

"Doing business abroad for Stark Industries. She's been out for a few months. She should be back soon, hopefully," Tony answered, and I nodded.

"Okay, come on. Let's leave her alone to get ready," Bruce said, backing away towards the door. "Holler if you need anything, Annabelle."

"Okay. Thank you." I gave him a small smile and watched as everyone filed out, shutting the door behind them, leaving me alone. I waited a minute before sliding out of bed, pulling the sheets back neatly and then heading into the bathroom. I glanced at myself in the mirror and let out a groan, finding my hair was sticking out in every direction. With as much hair as I had, it almost always looked like a fuzzy mess in the morning, even with a good night's sleep. Now, with all the tossing and turning I had done plus the excess amount of sweat it was soaked in, my hair looked like a disaster.

I made a face at my reflection, just realizing that I was still wearing only a bra and some shorts. Color flooded through my cheeks as I stared at myself, a hot mess. All my life I had tried so hard to make a great first impression on everyone I met, but it seemed that here, with the people who had always mattered most, I couldn't seem to do that. Maybe it was bad luck; or, maybe, I couldn't be fake in front of them. I couldn't slap on that smile and charm. I couldn't be that young beauty that every scientist familiar with my father had heard about. Right now, I looked exactly how I felt. And, maybe that was how it was supposed to be. I couldn't be fake all of the time, despite what I had grown up thinking.

I stripped off what clothes I had on and stepped into the shower, turning it on and letting it wash away the awful feeling that the nightmares had given me.

By the time I showered, got dressed—in sweats and a loose t-shirt, thank goodness—and came downstairs, everyone was already at the table eating breakfast. They all stopped their idle chatter and looked to me as I entered, making me feel a little self-conscious. I shifted my weight to one leg awkwardly and stood there in the entrance to the room, not sure what to do.

"Did you have a nice, uh..." Thor started and then cut off, seeming to be searching for words.

"Shower," Bruce finished for him.

"Yes. Shower," Thor repeated. They both watched me, waiting for a response.

"Oh...uh...yeah. I did. Thank you." I held my arm behind my back, lightly scraping my sock across the floor beneath me, the room falling silent again for a moment until Steve cleared his throat.

"Do you want some breakfast?" he asked.

"I'm not really hungry, but thank you for the offer." I should have been hungry after all I had been through, but for some reason food just didn't sound appetizing. Actually, the thought of eggs and bacon, though they smelled nice as they wafted through the room, seemed revolting to me. I glanced at Tony, wondering why he was being so quiet this morning. From what I had experienced, he seemed to be the one that always had something to say, whether that be something intelligent or semi degrading. He was watching me, a perplexed look on his face, as if he had discovered a gold mine and was thinking over his possibilities of what to do with it. I awkwardly looked away from him and let my eyes drift around the room, still drawing patterns with my foot on the ground.

"Do you want to sit down?" Steve asked, standing up and offering me his chair. I looked at him in surprise and then looked at the chair, not sure what to say. I'd never had someone offer me their chair. Sure, some guys had pulled chairs out for me when they were attempting to 'woo' me at parties, but no one had ever sacrificed their comfort for my own.

Bruce chuckled from the corner.

"Go on, Annabelle. Take it. Trust me, Steve has no tricks up his sleeve," he said, giving me a smile. I smiled a bit in return, looking up at Steve again before nodding, taking the offer and sitting down.

"Thank you, Steve," I said quietly. Steve smiled a little and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, nodding his head once.

"Not a problem, ma'am." I felt my cheeks heat up and quickly grabbed a glass of orange juice near me, taking a big drink in attempt to cover my face momentarily. When I felt I was safe, I set the glass back down.

"That was mine." Thor commented, taking the glass himself and peering inside at what was left of the juice.

"…I'm so sorry. I, uh, got really thirsty and didn't think about what I was grabbing."

"It is fine. I can get another." He shot me a bright smile and then lifted the glass high up into the air. "Ano-"

"Don't you dare!" Steve and Tony both yelled, startling me. I looked over at them with wide eyes and then looked back at Thor, his glass still held high. He slowly lowered it, carefully setting it back on the table. Grumbling under his breath, he reached for the pitcher of orange juice at the center of the table and filled his cup up to the top.

"Thank you, Thor," Bruce said, sipping his coffee. Thor nodded once and grunted a little in response, holding the juice out to me.

"More?"

"Oh, uh, no thank you." I smiled a bit as he lifted the glass to his lips and downed the juice, setting the glass back down. I shifted my eyes around the room, resting them on Tony once again, who was still blatantly staring at me. I cleared my throat awkwardly and looked down at my hands.

"Do you want to go outside, Annabelle?" Tony asked, after a moment. I looked up.

"Right now?" I asked, slowly.

"Yes."

"Why?"  
"It's nice outside."

"Yes, but-"

"Do you want to, or not?" he interrupted me, crossing his arms.

"I...I guess?" I was a little put off by his abruptness. I glanced around at the others, wondering if this was some sort of plan, but everyone looked just as confused as I was. I turned back to Tony.

"Great. Let's go, then." He stood and nodded at the others, who hesitantly stood as well, leaving their breakfast behind. Tony grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room and down the hall, catching me by surprise. He pulled me along until we came to an elevator, the others trailing behind us. The elevator doors were gorgeous, as expected, and as Tony punched a few buttons to open it I could see that the inside was just as nice. Tony stepped in and leaned against the wall of the elevator as I peered in, examining the décor. I slowly took a step forward, but was roughly pushed back out by Tony, a smirk on his face. I stumbled back, catching myself before I lost my balance.

"What was that for?" I asked, glaring at him.

"You don't get to take the elevator. You get to walk to the top." Tony responded, that Stark grin still hanging on his face.

"Are you kidding me?" I sputtered, "That's crazy! There has to be hundreds of stairs to the top. You're going to make me climb all that?"

"This is test number one," he said, motioning for Bruce to join him. Bruce entered the elevator, turning around to look at me. "Only Bruce and I get to ride in the elevator." Tony finished.

"Sorry, guys." Bruce smiled sympathetically.

"Hey, wait. Why can't Thor and I use that?" Steve asked, clearly a bit annoyed. Tony chuckled under his breath, which only seemed to bother Steve more.

"Because you two are going to race Annabelle there. Whoever makes it to the top first gets to eat lunch," Tony explained, quickly pushing a few buttons from inside, the doors easing shut before any of us could argue. The elevator let out a 'ding', and then they were gone. I turned around and looked at the other two, who both looked confused, though Thor had a dangerously determined look on his face. I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat. How was I going to race them? One was a god, and the other was a genetically enhanced super soldier. I had no chance at all.

"Maybe I shouldn't have skipped out on breakfast," I mumbled, hoping that the lack of food and sudden physical activity wouldn't make me pass out. That was all I needed at the start of the day: more issues.

"We don't have to play Stark's game," Steve grumbled, "Let's just walk up there." I looked from him to Thor, shrugging my shoulders. I didn't want to make Tony mad, but if the others were boycotting this 'test' of his as well, there was no way only I would get in trouble. We'd all go down together.

That is, until Thor took off running.

"Hey!" Steve and I yelled out, in unison. We glanced at each other, both sharing a look of shock before I started after Thor, Steve grunting and following behind. He passed me within the first few seconds, as expected, obviously determined now to beat his otherworldly friend. I didn't know what it was with guys and competition; someone always had to be better. Then again, I wouldn't have minded winning the race, just so I could show Tony I could, or prove that I had what it took. Still, there was no way I could run faster than these two, who were already dozens of stair ahead of me.

Then again, there had to be a reason behind this test. Did Tony think I was capable of that sort of speed? I inhaled, realizing that even though I had been running for quite some time, I wasn't out of breath. In fact, I felt fine. Maybe I could do this, or, at least catch up to them. Maybe all I needed was some focus and confidence in myself. I squeezed my hands into tight fists and then let them go, taking a deep breath in, as if sucking in all of the energy flowing through the walls around me. I shifted my attention to that new energy in my body, those brilliant and colorful little strands of light, and tried to focus on bringing them out. I bit down lightly on my lip and imagined myself running faster, that energy flowing through me naturally until it slid down my legs and curled on my toes. I could feel my pace picking up, my body moving faster and faster until I was flying over multiple steps at a time, nearing the two boys ahead. It felt as if I were gliding, my body being whisked up the stairs as if carried by a wisp of wind. As exhilarating as it felt it also felt natural, soothing, as if this was all I was ever meant to do.

I passed Steve within the next few seconds, not even turning to look back at him as I did. I could feel his surprise even without seeing him, his energy colors spiking as I blew past him. I turned my attention now on Thor. I ran my tongue over my teeth and quickly sidestepped around him, then cut him off and continued on, leaving him and Steve both in the dust. This was it. We were close to the door that would lead up to the top of Stark Tower, where Tony and Bruce would be waiting, and I was going to get there first. I pushed forward and grabbed the little handle of the door, unable to stop my feet from moving. I got it open as fast as I could, skidding across the ground outside as I tried to get myself to stop, my body still moving too quickly. I panicked as I came up on Tony, knocking him harshly to the ground. We slid a few feet, some dust kicking up around us, until we finally were able to stop. I batted my eyes, my corneas burning with light, and quickly looked down at Tony. Despite my worry over hurting him, he didn't seem to be upset in the least. In fact, he looked pleased.

"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting that," he said, coughing a little, "but, good job, kid." I inhaled quickly and pushed off of him, holding my hand out to him to help him up. He grasped it and stood, brushing himself off before examining the damage. "Looks like I might have to replace this shirt. The back is ripped a bit."

"I'm really sorry about that," I stuttered, looking down at my hands. "Guess I have to work on stopping."

"We all have to start somewhere," he said with a smirk. I looked back to him, smiling a bit. I could feel Steve and Thor finally coming onto the balcony behind me and chose not to look at them. I didn't know if they would be mad or not. Best not push it...for now.

"So, how'd you do it?" Tony asked, and I snapped my attention back to him.

"Hm?"

"How did you manage to beat them?"

"Oh, I...well I just, sort of...did." I felt at a loss for words, not sure I could explain what I had experienced. "I didn't think too much about it. I realized that you must have known I could beat them, and so I just...did. It wasn't necessarily anything I did. At least, I don't think so. It felt natural to me," I explained.

"Interesting," Bruce murmured.

"Were you afraid of losing? Afraid I'd be disappointed?" Tony's grin was back, his eyes bright with the many jokes and comments I'm sure he had running through his brain. I opened my mouth to respond, but he continued on without my answer. "Speaking of losing, how's it going, boys?" Tony peeked over my shoulder and I dared to turn around, getting a good look at Steve and Thor. They were both sweating, though Steve appeared to be the more tired of the two, his breathing heavier. He shot a smile at me, his blue eyes glistening.

"I've got to say, I really wasn't expecting that," He shook his head in disbelief, still watching me almost...curiously. I shifted my eyes away from him in hopes to keep from blushing, looking instead at Thor, who seemed both disappointed and confused.

"I lost. To a female who is not even a warrior of Asgard." Thor mumbled, running a hand through his golden hair. He met my eyes, his emotions changing. "I do not understand what you are, Annabelle Green, but I see greatness in you. With work, you could exceed the powers of even the warriors I have come to know from my home. Take pride in that. Do not let that go to waste." He ended with the hint of a smile, my heart melting in my chest. Thor, god of thunder, one of the mighty Avengers, believed I had potential. And, by the sound of it, a lot of potential. I had never felt so proud, nor so determined.

Tony let out a chuckle and walked past me, slapping a hand down on Thor's shoulder.

"Laying it on thick this morning, aren't we?" Tony asked with a grin. Thor gave him a confused look.

"What? What is thick? And where am I laying it?"

"Okay, now onto test number two," Tony started, walking back over to me as Steve leaned closer to Thor, trying to quietly explain the phrase 'lay it on thick'. Tony draped an arm around my shoulder, explaining the second test, though I wasn't really listening. I was more fascinated with how everyone around me felt. Not looked. _Felt. _They seemed to be radiating happiness and peace, a calming air hanging around them like a pleasant mist. Just being in their presence made me feel enlightened, as if I were on cloud nine.

"Got it?" Tony asked, his voice suddenly loud in my ear. I snapped back and looked over at him, blinking away my thoughts.

"Excuse me?" I asked. Tony let out a low and over-dramatic sigh.

"You weren't even listening."

"No," I admitted.

"Thor, get Mjolnir." Tony turned his head and I did as well, looking at Thor, who still looked mildly confused about the past conversation.

"Aye." He held out his hand in front of him, his palm out as if he were reaching to grab a vine to swing on. I stared at his hand, then looked around at the others for answers. By the looks on their faces, I wasn't about to get one.

"What's Mjo-" I started, but was suddenly interrupted as something whizzed past my head, picking up my hair like a strong wind and blowing it over my face. I let out a breath in shock and spit some hair out of my mouth, taking a hand and smoothing it back over my head so that I could see. In front of me, held in Thor's once empty hand, was a large hammer, engravings lining the edges. I had seen this hammer before, though only at a distance. The news could only get so close when they were reporting on superheroes, after all, and Thor seemed to be the least filmed of them all. Still, I realized this was the hammer that Thor used as his weapon. The famous hammer. But what kind of name was Mjolnir?

Thor threw the hammer down, the metal cracking against the ground beneath my feet and causing me to stumble. This hammer really packed a punch. After a few moments of silence, and no movement, I finally lifted my eyes from the hammer and looked around.

"Pick it up," Tony prompted, nudging me. I opened my mouth in protest but quickly shut it, shrugging my shoulders. I leaned down and grasped the large handle, pulling up. Only, the hammer didn't budge. I watched it curiously for a moment before pulling up on it again, only to get the same result. It was as if the hammer weighed a few tons, and there was no budging it. I dropped the handle and craned my neck to look up at Thor, who was wearing a grand smile. I knew Thor was strong, but there was no way he was that strong. There had to be some other aspect to this that I didn't understand.

"What is this?" I asked, still bent over the hammer.

"Only Thor can wield Mjolnir," Bruce explained.

"If you were listening to my explanation, you would already know that," Tony added. I huffed.

"Then why are you telling me to pick it up? I'm not Thor."

"Thank God," Tony muttered, which I ignored.

"I believe Stark thinks you may be able to use it anyway," Steve said, his arms crossed. "Am I right?"

"For once," Tony responded. "Annabelle, if your powers mainly revolve around energy, you may be able to somehow use Thor's hammer. It's just alien magic. Or, actually, it's some kind of science that I just haven't cracked yet. I'm sure there's a way you can figure it out."

"But I'm not magic," I said slowly, "and I'm not Asgardian, nor am I an alien at all. This seems a little out of my league."  
"Don't underestimate yourself, Green," Tony said with a smile. "You just blew these boys out of the water with your running." I sighed, wrapping my hands around the handle again.

"This is a little ridiculous," I grumbled, pulling with all my strength with no results. I let out a breath and tried again, the veins in my arms popping out, sweat beating on my forehead. At this rate, all I was going to do was throw out my back.

"Don't try too hard," Bruce warned, as if he knew what I was thinking. I nodded my head and puffed some hair out of my face, this time trying a different approach. I didn't pull. I closed my eyes and breathed in, reading into the little fog of energy surrounding the hammer. I hadn't known it was there until now, but suddenly the golden light was so clear to me, so obvious, as if it had been there the whole time. I became aware of my own little strands of light again and forced them to extend, the little light blue strings expanding from my fingers and wrapping around the golden handle of Mjolnir, like little tiny nerves. They were like an extension of my soul, my mind, crawling down and collecting at the base of the hammer until the golden flow of light surrounding it was tinted blue. I opened my eyes.

With one tug the hammer came flying up, suddenly weightless in my hands. I held it out in front of me, examining the intricate details lining the sides. It really was a beautiful weapon, this Mjolnir, though I could feel the power surging within it. I could only imagine what Thor felt when he held it. It was bonded to him, after all. I was only borrowing it. I stayed silent for a moment as the others watched me, a mixture of emotions crossing their faces. It took me longer than it should have to realize what I had just done, but now it quickly dawned on me. I had just lifted Thor's hammer. The magical hammer that was used time and time again to defend this planet, as well as countless others. The weapon of choice to Thor, widely considered a godly being. And I was holding it in front of me like a toy. A smile crept over my face as I let go of the handle with my left hand, swinging the hammer with my right playfully. I couldn't seem to tap into any of the powers that the hammer possessed, not that I should have even thought about trying, but just holding it was enough of an accomplishment to me. I spun it around once more before holding it out to Thor, presenting it like the sacred object it was.

"I believe this is yours?" I asked innocently, amused. Thor watched me in awe as he slowly took the hammer out of my hands, inspecting it for damage before dropping it next to him.

"I'll be honest; I didn't expect that to work," Tony said suddenly, clapping his hands together. "Congratulations. Well done. Bravo." He came closer and ruffled my hair like a child, messing it up more than it had already been. I shot him a slight glare and smoothed it back down, though at this point it was deciding to already have a mind of it's own.

"Thanks, I guess," I said, letting my hands drop to the side.

"Now let's all try it. Take turns. Eh?"

"Not today, Stark. Another time." Thor gave him a look, holding his hammer protectively.

"Fine, fine. Killjoy. Next test, then." He smiled. Tony really was persistent, it seemed. It didn't look like I was going to get a break.

"I'd like to take that lunch now," I said, sighing. He ignored me and took me by the shoulders, walking me over to the ledge of the building as far as we could go without falling off. I looked over the edge uneasily.

"Can you fly?" Tony whispered, his words dangerous. I swallowed hard, my eyes widening.

"Tony what exactly are you going to-" Steve began to yell from where he was standing, but Tony answered his question before he could finish. He gave me a good shove off the side of the building, my legs tingling as my feet slipped off the ledge. I screamed in fear, tumbling through the air, twisting and turning. I was dangerously close to the wall of the building beside me, but that wasn't what I was worrying about. It was the quickly approaching sidewalk that caught my attention, though I could barely keep my focus on it with my hair whipping around my face.

"I can fly! I can fly! I can fly!" I screamed at myself, my body sparking with agitation. I tried to focus on imaginary wings, levitation, anything, but nothing seemed to be happening. "Fly!" I yelled louder, trying to flap my arms like a bird. Really, all that accomplished was me looking like an idiot midair. I started to panic, the ground creeping closer and closer, my eyes burning from the wind. "I can't fly!" I screeched, covering my face with my arms to hide my eyes. I was ready for the impact of the ground when something suddenly caught me by the arms and sent me flying upwards, my stomach dropping at the movement. I hesitantly opened my eyes in surprise and tilted my head back to see Tony, fully suited up in his Iron Man armor. I let out a slight breath of relief and let him drop me back at the top, my legs shaking and my heart pounding uncontrollably and unnaturally in my chest.

"What were you thinking?!" Steve started, going off on him, which I normally would have found flattering. Right now, I could barely even focus my scattered brain enough to keep myself standing.

"You realize the scare of that could have given her a heart attack?" Bruce added, somewhat angrily. He grabbed my arm and pressed his fingers against my wrist to check my pulse, like I was a sick patient. I was surprised he could keep his hand steady enough to get a good reading, considering my arm was shaking so badly.

"You're right. That was stupid. Maybe if she knew it was coming, she could catch herself," Tony said. He turned to me, a hard look on his face, and spoke seriously, "Annabelle. I'm going to push you off the edge." Everyone tried to speak at once, opposed to the idea, but before anyone could stop him he had shoved me off again, and I went falling towards my death...again. Something told me Tony wasn't going to catch me this time; I had to survive this on my own. I held my breath and spun around so my feet were facing the ground, spreading my arms out to the sides to keep from spinning violently. I relaxed my body and prepared myself to make contact, electricity snapping around my skin. I could hear a few gasps of terror and surprise from the people down below me as I freely fell towards the sidewalk, the pedestrians all scattering and moving out of the way frantically. I glanced around at them, coming up on them quickly, and then closed my eyes, completely focused. I heard a loud crash as the air around me stirred up dust, little particles forcing themselves into my mouth and up my nose, pressure under my feet. My legs mildly ached, but it seemed my body was too in shock to feel much else. I put my hand to the ground in hopes to steady myself, my brain fuzzy with nausea. After a few seconds of collecting myself I opened my eyes, finding that a large cloud of dust and debris was settling over my skin. Coughing, and blowing some of the dust out of my lungs, I waved the cloud out of my face and stood up. I heard a quick shuffling of feet around me, and soon Steve and Thor were standing above me, peering down. I hadn't realized until now that I had created a hole that was at least a foot and a half deep, putting me a bit below the sidewalk's surface. I blinked some dirt out of my eyes and rested my head back, groaning.

"What just happened?" I mumbled, still disoriented, trying to focus my blurry eyes on the Avengers' faces.

"Well," Thor scratched the back of his neck, his eyes moving around to examine the area around me. "You have made a very hole again."

"And you aren't dead." Tony added, as if it wasn't obvious, landing just beside my 'crater'. His landing only brought up more dust and I coughed again, my senses overwhelmed. Steve shook his head in annoyance and shot a glare at Tony.

"That was still incredibly stupid," Steve spat. He held out his hand to help me out of the hole, lifting me up and brushing my shoulders off with his hand. He hesitated a moment and then brushed his hand through my hair, which I was certain was even more of a mess than he or I could fix. I watched his face, trying to keep my eyes from straying to the hole I had made, the damage clearly visible in the corner of my eye. Just thinking about that hole was making me dizzy all over again.

"Thank you," I sputtered, realizing Steve was probably waiting for some sort of recognition. He nodded his head and then looked at Tony, who was running his mouth excitedly to Thor. He looked like he was only half listening. I was glad I wasn't the only one who zoned out when Tony was running his mouth.

"-think we should do a few more tests to see what she can do. There could be endless possibilities to her powers. We just need to get one of those Tesla coils and-"

"Tony let's give her a break for now. We don't know how much she can take in a day," Steve said, somewhat defensively. Tony grumbled and waved him off.

"Fine. Tomorrow then." He thought for a second. "But, one more thing." He turned to me and grabbed me firmly by the shoulders, his metal hands cold against my skin. "If you can land from that far, you might be able to jump. Not as good as flying, but it's still something. Want to give it a go?"

"Uh, sure," I answered, still a bit out of it. I pulled myself away from him and looked up at the tower. "That's a long way up, but I guess I'll try." My body and mind were exhausted, but I decided to give it a shot. Tony seemed to be pretty spot on with everything else I could do so far; Plus I didn't think he would leave me alone until I tried it. I took a deep breath in and bent my knees, readying myself to jump. I sent those tiny strands of energy to my legs, the motions becoming more natural every time I tried, electricity dancing around my skin. To the people who still scattered the streets, I'm sure I either looked stunning or terrifying. Maybe both.

I sprung, my body gliding upwards again, my mind clearing. The wind whipped against my face as I reached higher and higher, my body feeling weightless, just as the hammer had before. It wasn't long, though, before I could feel myself start to slow down, still a ways away from the top of the building. I puffed out my cheeks in determination, refusing to fall all the way back down, and grabbed the side of the building, my body slamming against a window. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment to collect my thoughts and then looked down, finding myself to be dangling over the city. I inhaled and put my feet to the wall, planting them firmly on the side. It was a good thing I wasn't afraid of heights. If I could run at such fast speeds upright, there was a possibility that I would be able to 'defy' gravity and run along the side of the building. If I could get up enough momentum, I could reach the top without having to climb. "Okay, Annabelle. You've got this." I told myself, letting go of my grasp on the building and jolting upwards, focusing on keeping my feet on the surface of the wall. I could feel my body arc backwards but refused to let myself fall, tipping myself forward and speeding up. In a few short moments I was at the edge of the building, where Tony had pushed me off. I grabbed the ledge, flipping myself backwards, up and over, onto my feet. I was suddenly grateful of all those years of dance and gymnastics that my father had forced me through when I was much younger, even though at the time it didn't seem they would amount to anything. Apparently, they were helping now. And, I was sure all of my other 'hobbies' that my father tried to keep me busy with would come in handy as well. I'd just have to wait and see.

Bruce met me at the top, looking me over.

"You survived,"

"Barely," I breathed out. A rush of movement behind me told me that Tony and the others had made their way back up, which was confirmed when Tony dropped Steve right next to me. Steve grumbled and brushed his hair down, mumbling something about aircrafts.

"Well, good job once again. I thought you were going to fall back down, but you thought on your feet. Literally." Tony said, retracting his mask and clapping his metal hands together a few times. "You're a smart cookie."

"Did you just realize that?" I asked, feeling playful. It was probably the lack of oxygen to my brain from all the exercise making me giddy, but that didn't matter. Tony's grin grew and he patted me on the shoulder, turning around and walking back towards the entrance to the tower.

"I'm hungry. Lunch time," he said, metal, claw like arms reaching out from the floors to take his armor. I quickly scurried after him, a though popping up in my mind.

"Tony, can I go out?" I asked. "I don't have any money on me, but I'm sure I can-"

"I'm buying. You can take my credit card. Whatever you want," he responded, as we stepped inside. The cool air of the building flooded my body with relief.

"You really don't have to..."  
"I insist. Just don't go too crazy, okay?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"Lose the 'sir'"  
"Yes...man?" He chuckled and I smiled a bit.

"I don't have time to take you out, though, so you're on your own."

"I don't really know my way around New York, but I suppose I can manage if I find a map."

"Good. And if you get lost, just wander around or something. You're sure to find your way back eventually. It's a big tower."

"I-" I stopped walking and let him walk ahead of me. I made a face at him behind his back, something that I wouldn't normally do if I wasn't so tired and disoriented. Still, right now, he deserved it.

A gentle hand touched my shoulder, and I looked over to see Bruce, who had obviously followed us in.

"I'll take you. Don't worry," he said. "Want to go after lunch?" I nodded quickly, ready to get out of Pepper's tight-fit clothes and into some that were actually my size.

"Yes please," I said.


	9. Chapter 9

I peered into every store front window we passed, unable to hide my excitement as I gazed upon the different styles of clothes that were displayed on manikins. Technically, I had never gone out shopping for myself like this. The things I had back home were things that my father had picked for me, and occasionally—very rarely—he would ask my opinion on a color. Even when I was in New York a few years ago, for whatever reason that I couldn't remember, I didn't have time to go around looking in stores. Of course, in my father's eyes, being able to choose my own clothing was too much freedom. Every time I asked, he would say, 'What, you don't like my sense of fashion? Come now, Annie, that's insulting'. Was it, though?

"Isn't that gorgeous?" I exclaimed, pushing my finger to the glass, where a manikin wearing a deep red satin dress stood. It was low cut in a flattering way and layered towards the bottom, something that my father would have found way too elegant. Besides, he was never one for the color red. Bruce chuckled under his breath beside me and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I like that one. I liked the last few too," he said, his smile reflected in the glass. I turned towards him, clasping my hands behind my back.

"I'm sorry. I'm being annoying. I need to calm down." I took in a few deep breaths and closed my eyes, trying to calm the excited energy that raced through my body. _You're a grown woman, Annabelle. Stop acting like a five year old. You're only looking at clothes._ Oh, but what exciting clothes they were!

Bruce chuckled, lightly touching my shoulder.

"You don't have to calm down. This is entertaining." I opened my eyes to look at him, a slight smirk lining his face. "Besides, I don't blame you. This is a new experience for you, obviously. You deserve to be excited."

"You're sure? I'm not too much?" I asked, to which he chuckled again.  
"You're just fine." He smiled. "Should we go inside here, then? This place looks nice. You have to stop browsing and actually start shopping here soon." He pointed to the entrance of the shop, fancy lettering scrawled across the door with a name I didn't recognize.

"This place is so fancy, though. I don't really need anything fancy," I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

"Tony has plenty of...celebrations. You'll probably need something like this at some point." Bruce answered, watching me. I rocked back and forth on my heels. I almost corrected him, letting him know that I wouldn't be staying for long, but I couldn't form the words to do it. For now it would be nice to pretend that I'd be staying with the guys forever.

"I don't even have any money." As if to prove my point, I pulled out the pockets of the pants I was wearing, then crossed my arms.  
"That's fine. Tony's treat, remember?" He dug a credit card out of his pocket—most likely Tony's—and flashed it at me.

"I don't want to waste his money on something silly like this,"

"I don't think he would mind if you bought a few dresses. He has plenty to spend. Really, he'd be more than happy to help you out."

"You don't think he'll be mad at all?"

"Not at all." He gave me a reassuring smile. I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Then I guess we're going in here. But I won't buy too much, I promise."

That was a lie. In just a half an hour I was crammed in a dressing room piled with dresses and fancy clothing, Bruce waiting beyond the door. The first few dresses ended up disappointments, not fitting exactly right, but by the time I got to the fourth one things started looking better. This dress was a light shade of purple, bunched up at the bottom, strapless. It hugged my figure nicely, but not too tight, offering the perfect balance that every girl looked for in a gown. I brushed some wrinkles from the fabric, pulling my hair out from behind me and pushing it forward, where my dark wavy curls blended nicely with the color of the dress. I could hardly recognize myself as I looked in the mirror, the dress far more elegant than anything I had ever been in. I looked like a princess. Now, all I needed was a tiara.

"Are you, uh, doing okay in there?" Bruce called from outside, his voice muffled by the door. He must have heard the lack of movement and found it suspicious. I cleared my throat and tore my eyes away from the mirror, looking instead at the silver door handle.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Just checking. Found anything you like yet?"

"Actually, yeah. I did," I said, glancing at my reflection once more before turning again, placing my hand on the handle. The metal was cold against my skin. I hesitated for a moment before turning it and peeking out at Bruce, his back against the wall across from me. "Do you...want to see?" I asked slowly. He looked at me, a bit taken aback, and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure. Okay." He smiled slightly. I pushed the door open fully and stepped out into the narrow hall of the dressing room, immediately feeling silly. Why was I putting myself out like this? I should have turned around and gone back in to try everything else on, yet here I was, displaying myself. I opened my mouth to apologize for potentially making Bruce uncomfortable, but his expression stopped me. A warm smile had grown on his face, his eyes sparkling ever so slightly as he examined the dress.

"This looks wonderful," he said, meeting my eyes. "You have good taste."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

"Thank you." I smiled, a happy feeling swelling through me. "I was a bit worried that it wouldn't fit in the sides..."

"Well, let's see." Bruce gently took my arms and lifted them to the side, turning me a bit, his eyes focused on the stitching in the dress. I held my breath and stood still, waiting until he turned me back forward and dropped my arms.

"Looks exactly right to me. Like it was fitted just for you."

"I thought so too. So, you think I should buy it?"

"Absolutely,"

"I'm afraid to look at the price tag..." I mumbled, suddenly aware of the little strip of paper that was tied to the zipper.

"Don't even look at it. Really, Tony's a billionaire. These kinds of things...they're nothing to him. I wouldn't worry about it at all."

"I guess he does kind of owe me for pushing me off a building," I muttered. Bruce chuckled.

"There you go," he said. I grinned and swiftly turned around, heading back into the dressing room and shutting the door tight. I slipped out of the gown and surveyed the pile of clothes still waiting to be tried on, picking one at random out of the bunch and pulling it on. After a few it was clear that I was making a show out of myself for Bruce, strutting out of the room and twirling around in front of him, waiting for his approval. Each time Bruce would complement the fit or design of the dress, his smile never faltering. The people passing in and out of the store probably thought we were together, a few of them shooting us looks as we laughed at how much of a fool I was making myself. But, honestly, I didn't think I could see Bruce that way, and I knew he felt the same. I could feel his admiration for me, but it wasn't romantic. It was...warm. His show of kindness was alarming and new, but it wasn't bad. It was something I had craved my entire life. When I was with my father, all I wanted was acceptance...something I never once felt from him. Being here with Bruce, I felt I was getting that; like, after all these years, I finally had a father figure that admired me and wanted to help me. Of course, Bruce was far from my father. But there was something about that look on his face every time I ran out of that room to show him something new, something that made me feel special, and that felt close enough to me. For the first time since I had arrived, I didn't feel I needed to go back to my father. Everything here, with these people, was so much better than what I was used to, and I didn't want to leave that. Never.

In an hour and a half we were out of that store, bags in hand, heading to our next destination. We hit at least 10 stores before I felt I finally had everything I needed. I could have shopped all day, but I could tell Bruce was getting tired so I gave it a rest. There would be other opportunities to shop, I realized. I was no longer confined. I had free will.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Bruce asked, as we walked back to the car we came in. I shook my head, giving him a smile.

"I'm okay. This is more than enough." Bruce popped the trunk and I shoved my bags in the back, barely able to fit everything in. I slammed the trunk closed, making sure nothing had a chance to fall out, and made my way up to the front, sliding into the seat and buckling myself in. Bruce got in next to me and started the ignition, putting the car in drive. He glanced over at me, his hand still on the key.

"Do you know how to drive a car, Annabelle?" he asked. I flushed and looked down at my hands, running one thumb over the other.

"Not exactly," I said quietly, taking a deep breath.

"Not exactly..?"

"...no. I don't." I admitted. He chuckled beside me.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of. We'll have to get you a car and teach you. Not that you'll need to actually drive much around here. You can get a taxi or other means of transportation. Still, it's a nice skill to have." I nodded slowly.

"Thanks."

"Mhm." With that he put the car in reverse, pulling out into the busy traffic behind us. We sat in silence, the buzz of the car engine the only sound minus the few car horns here and there. I took in a deep breath and looked out the side window, watching the people walk along the sidewalk, living out their lives. I wondered what it was like to be them, walking around the streets of Manhattan, busy with thoughts of work and family and whatever else it was that city people thought about. I'd never had to worry about any of that. The only thing I was used to worrying about was if my father was in a good mood. Beyond that, nothing much else mattered. I was so different from these people around me, their minds full of life. My mind was only full of doubt, and the occasional curiosity.

"I owe you one, Bruce," I said after a while, my mind still wandering.

"You don't owe me anything, Annabelle. I was happy to do this." He shot me a smile and then went back to watching the road, tapping his fingers across the steering wheel. I smiled to myself faintly, resting my forehead against the glass.

"Is the city pretty at night?" I asked.

"Some parts of it, yeah. Why?"

"I've just...always wanted to see the city lights at night. I could see the faint lights of Tokyo from my house, but, that's usually as close as I got. And, of course, I was wandering around New York the other night...but I was too disoriented and tired to even look at the lights." I closed my eyes, turning my neck a bit so that the side of my head was against the window.

"We can all go, one night. How does that sound? We can even go to Times Square."

"That sounds amazing..." I said, a bit on the quieter side. I could just imagine standing under all those lights, the energy surrounding them so bright and soft like silk. The moon would shine brilliantly over the tops of the buildings, the warm light pooling across the streets. I had never wanted something so bad, at that moment, the image too irresistible to shake. And, with all of the Avengers by my side, the night would be even more magical. Even if something did happen, and my father did come back to get me, I would make sure to visit there first.

We pulled into the garage of the tower and I unbuckled my seat belt, leaving the car. I strolled to the back and pulled all of my bags out from the trunk, nearly spilling everything in the process. Bruce quickly grabbed a stray bag that was hanging precariously from my arms, taking a few more bags from me before heading inside. I followed, using my elbow to shut the trunk. We came to the main room, where nearly everyone was sitting around. The T.V. was blaring, the news flashing across the screen.

"Get everything you needed?" Tony asked, looking over the back of the couch at me. I nodded and smiled.

"Yes, I did. Thank you so much, Tony. I'm so grateful."

"No problem, kid." He smiled.

"I'm going to go change," I said nodding at him before booking up the stairs. I was eager to get into something more comfortable, or, at least something that actually fit. I entered a room and set my bags down, sifting through them until I found something nice to wear. I pulled out a light blue blouse and some white shorts, stripping off Pepper's all-too-tight-for-me clothes and setting them aside. I put on my new outfit, brushing out a few wrinkles before setting the bags to the side, making sure to fold Pepper's clothes neatly over my arm before I left the room and headed back down. There was one wrinkle in the shirt that I just couldn't seem to get flat, no matter how many times I smoothed my hand over it. I knew the clothes were going to be thrown into a washer—probably a really high tech, fancy-pants one—but there was some part of me that couldn't stand to return the clothes while they were...indecent. I mumbled to myself and pushed my hand down on the fabric, simultaneously missing the first step to the stairs and losing my footing. A weird sound escaped my lips as I stumbled forward, the back of my heel knocking against the second step as I tried to regain my footing. Pepper's clothes flew out of my hands and landed a few stairs below, strewn about, across the steps. In a flash of movement, and hair, Thor was suddenly in front of me, grabbing my arms to steady me out. I blinked in surprise and tried to catch my breath, my heart racing, pounding rapidly in my chest. I raised a hand and rested it above my skin, my breathing slightly stunted. Thor, who was standing near the bottom of the stairs, caught my arm before I fell, steadying me out.

"Are you alright, Annabelle Green?" Thor asked, giving me a once over to check for injuries. I gasped for breath and nodded quickly, inhaling deeply before finally calming down. It felt as if my heart were going to beat itself right out of my chest, right through the skin.

"I'm okay," I said finally. "Thank you."

"You seem to enjoy falling," he said with a smirk, and I was brought back to last night, when falling _up _the stairs had been the problem.

"Yeah, I'm kind of clumsy, I guess." I laughed under my breath, inhaling once more. "I'll try not to stumble into you anymore."

"It is no problem. At least you know I am here to catch you." His smile broadened. I felt the blood rush to my face and quickly stepped past him, bending down—carefully—to pick up the clothes. By now they were a wrinkled mess again.

"I'm going to head downstairs and give these back," I said, flashing him a flustered smile before making my way down the remaining steps and into the living room.

The large TV was turned on, images flashing across the screen, the sound set loud. I folded the clothes over the arm of the couch and then rested my elbows against the back, looking up at the big screen.

"...news? You're watching the news? Not something that's actually entertaining?" I asked, mildly disappointed. I had spent my whole life watching the news, next to other stupid 'educational programming' shows, and I was hoping that there would at least be something good to watch here. I guess I was wrong.

"If you don't like it, then you can leave." Tony said, turning his neck and flashing me a grin. I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to protest, but was suddenly interrupted by the jingling sound of the doorbell.

"Someone is at the door, sir." Jarvis piped up, to which Tony sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard it. Anyone want to get that?" He glanced around the room at the few other faces and then at me. When no one else answered, I slowly raised my hand.

"Yeah, sure, I'll get it," I said. I jogged around the corner and to the front door, pulling it open and putting on my best smile. "Stark Tower, how may I he-..." My words trailed off and my spirits sank as I saw the figure towering in the doorway. I backed up slowly and let go of the support of the door, letting my hand fall beside me. My feet scuffed against the tile as I backed away, but the figure I knew all too well grabbed me by the arms and yanked me forward, squeezing my skin. Just being close to him made my heart beat quickly and irregularly, my difficulty breathing returning. I examined his face, that chiseled, German face, and then did something that I didn't expect. I screamed.

"Annie, please, contain yourself. It's like you aren't even happy to see me," he murmured, his voice low and intimidating. I broke off my scream and looked away from him, letting my thick hair cover my face as tears sprang to my eyes.

"What are you doing here, father?" I asked, my voice shaking. He began to say something, a German sound rolling off his tongue, before he was suddenly interrupted by Steve, who sprinted into the room.

"Annabelle? Are you okay?" he asked, halting immediately when he saw the situation. In a few seconds the others jogged in, looking concerned. I squeezed my eyes shut, silently praying that they would just go away, and leave my father to take me back. I didn't want all of the trouble I knew this was going to cause. I couldn't open my trembling lips to say anything, though, so I only stood there looking pathetic. My father's menacing laugh slipped from his mouth quietly, his breath hot against my face.

"Well, well. What have we here? The Avengers, if I'm not mistaken. How interesting that they took you in here." He growled the last bit, letting go of my shoulders. Now was my chance to get away, to run, but I couldn't move an inch. My father turned back to me, his eyes narrowing with what looked to be disgust. "You've disobeyed and disrespected me, Annabelle. And, not only that, but you've cost me almost a million dollars in damage to my lab. Are you aware of how much money that is?"

"Yes, sir," I said quietly.

"Then you should be aware also of how awful of a thing you did. And things like that do not come without consequences." I swallowed hard, clenching my fists.

"You kept me locked up there, and..." I trailed off, my father's internal energy spiking violently. I knew what that meant. I tensed prematurely, before my father's hand even collided with my jaw bone, knocking my head violently to the side from the force of the slap. My cheek immediately stung, and I knew a red mark was quickly making itself visible. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and hung my head, embarrassed and ashamed.

"You can't do that to her...!" I recognized Steve as the one who was yelling, obviously enraged by the situation. "If you ever hit her again, I will make sure you never live another day in freedom!" he spat. I appreciated his dedication, but I doubted any of his words would faze my father. My father was manipulative, clever, and cruel, and he would always find a way out of whatever situation he was put into.

"Oh, really? Well, you are not so innocent yourself. Are you aware that the police have been searching for Annabelle? She's a missing person now. As of this morning, I informed the police that she was still alive. Because I knew she was." My father was already weaving his web, carefully trying to turn the situation around.

"So? She's an adult. She can go wherever she wants. We aren't responsible for her coming here. She came here by choice." I was surprised that no one other than Steve was speaking up, though maybe the rest of them were just surveying the predicament to see if there was a logical way to do things. Steve was just yelling, and yelling wasn't going to fix anything.

"You're right. But even adults can be kidnapped. And your 'kidnapping' of my daughter can be all over the headlines."

"We didn't kidnap her."  
"Oh, but I can make it seem that way. You'll be on my side...right Annabelle?" My father turned to me. An icy chill ran through my veins as the group turned to look at me, waiting for my answer.

"I-I..." I was at war with myself. All of them had been so kind to me for the short period of time I had been here. But, my father was my father. Even if I did hate him, he had always controlled my life, and he still did. Honestly, I was afraid of what he would do to get me to side with him, and I didn't want to cause anyone any trouble. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to get hurt. "Yes, sir." I whimpered. Steve growled in anger and punched the wall next to him, sending his fist through it. My stomach churned with disgust for myself and my actions, but this was what I had to do. He didn't realize that I was saving him a boatload of trouble, and maybe even pain. I wasn't worth that much.

"That's a good girl." My father grasped my arm and pulled me up from my slouched position, settling me next to him. "Now, Annabelle and I are going home now. And no one will hear of any of this. Understood?"

"Never," Steve muttered angrily.

"Pity." He mumbled, in German. I quickly snapped my face towards him, watching as he reached his hand down and fumbled in his pocket, bringing out a sizable knife. I recognized this as one of my grandmother Hana's family heirlooms; it was an old dagger that she used to carry around during her days in the war. Fear shot through me.

"Father, don't hurt anyone! Please!" I yelled frantically, grabbing at his arm. He knocked me back and lifted the blade to my throat swiftly, silencing me. I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, trying to stay calm. My father always had the perfect plan. No one was going to make a move if they thought my life was at risk.

"We are leaving now. Don't protest." The room fell silent, silent enough to hear a pin drop on the roof. My eyes flicked to Steve, who had frozen where he was standing. Even he wouldn't risk this. My father nodded at them and slowly began to back out of the doorway, the knife still pressed up against my bare skin, raising goosebumps on my arms.

"Uh, yeah, slight problem with that," Tony spoke up before we were out of earshot, his boyish smirk lining his face. My father stopped, waiting. "You see," Tony continued, "we have a hulk."

"Yes, I'm aware of Dr. Banner's unfortunate...condition...but even he can't stop-" He was cut off by an ear splitting roar that came from behind us, making me flinch. My father turned his head slightly to the side, cursing under his breath. "That might be a problem, actually," he mumbled. For once, my father seemed caught off guard, something I had never before seen in all my years. But he wasn't completely helpless; I could tell he was still thinking. He was going to gain something out of this meeting no matter what, just like with every situation, though I didn't know what he could possibly gain at this point. The trudging footsteps of the Hulk shook the ground as he got closer and closer, my father still contemplating what to do. He spun me around and held me firmly by one shoulder, giving me a strange look that I had never seen from him before. "I'll be back one day, Annabelle. When you're ready," he spat out in German, moving the knife from my neck and plunging it deep into my heart. My eyes widened and my mouth gaped open with pain, though no sound escaped my lips. "You'll realize then how much of a danger you are by yourself and come back. Know that I'm the only one that can save you from yourself. This is bigger than the both of us. You'll see," he continued, releasing the handle of the knife and letting me drop. I collapsed onto my knees, my corneas burning, my heart bursting with intense pain. I could hear the sound of footsteps as my father fled the scene, clearly hoping to get away before Hulk got to him. I tried to open my mouth to say something, anything at all, but I couldn't form words. I stayed frozen, my eyes still burning and my body throbbing. I was only slightly aware of the shadowy figures that gathered around me, panic dancing around their normal energy signatures.

"Annabelle? Annabelle are you okay?! Annabelle!" I couldn't make out who was talking in the blend of voices, and my vision slowly started to fizz out and disintegrate. I managed a pained smile and tried to say 'I'm okay', but couldn't keep myself up any longer, falling back onto the pavement leading up to the steps of Stark Tower. The earsplitting roar from The Hulk was the last sound that rung through my ears until I lost consciousness. And then...nothing.


	10. Chapter 10

_ "You see, if you draw the ears like this, it looks more like a real bunny." My cousin, Portia, slowly erased the ears I had halfheartedly drawn and replaced them with her own set, kinking the ends slightly. She turned to me and grinned, her dimples plainly visible. Her black hair hung around her face, tied in a messy, loose, ponytail. It was easy to see that she and I were extremely different, her in her t-shirt and cut off shorts and me in my teal summer dress. I sat up straight in my chair while she sat slumped over, as if she had to be as close as possible to the table in front of us. Really, the only sign of us being related were our mossy green eyes that we had inherited from our grandmother. "Get it?" she asked, tapping her finger on the paper above the ears she had drawn. "Now you try." She turned the notebook around and slid it across the table towards me, popping her gum once. I took the pencil from her and examined the poorly drawn rabbit, images of real rabbits flashing through my head. This thing was a sorry excuse for a drawing, but, I wasn't interested in fixing it._

_ "I'm not very good at drawing," I mumbled, the excuse I gave every time. She scoffed and reached for the notebook and pencil back, snatching them out of my hands and huffing dramatically. Even at the ripe age of eleven, Portia was already spicy and overly-dramatic. I felt I was more mature than her, even though I was a couple years younger._

_ "Yes you are! I've seen you draw. You're amazing at it! But, fine. If you don't want to draw a bunny, you don't have to." Portia had always been stubborn and loud, which was always amplified when we spoke in German. I saw the way our cook would stare into the room when Portia went on one of her excited rants, the German words sounding harsh and cold even though what she was saying was nothing of the sort. Of course, she had no way to know this; she only spoke Japanese. The poor woman looked at Portia like some sort of intimidating dictator, instead of the little girl she was. Then again, Portia wasn't that far off from a dictator. She could go on and on, slamming her fists on the table as she spoke about something she was passionate about, arguing her point. I never butted in, sitting quietly even when the subject she was spouting about had already been disproved. I couldn't speak up, because she was __always__ right. I'd let her accept that._

_ To a lot of people this would come off as annoying, but I found it comical. Watching Portia's shenanigans was a nice distraction, the few times she did come over. _

_ She brought the pencil to her lips and nibbled at the eraser, pondering what animal to mutilate next. My eyes wandered from the page and around the room, looking for something to keep me entertained. These days, simply sitting around and drawing just wasn't cutting it, like it used to. I used to be entertained for hours by a sketchbook and pencil. But now...now there were a lot of other things running through my mind that made me want more. My brain was always working...always chipping away at new ideas._

_ "Hey, Annie Bell? Do you like horses? I bet you I could draw one of those. They can't be too hard, right? I mean, you just draw the legs first...and then the body..."_

_ "Mhm," I responded, resting my chin in my hands. I soon lost the rest of her conversation, preoccupied by the shadows that moved every so often under the doorway. They flicked in and out with the movement on the other side, where my father and aunt spoke in hushed whispers. I wished I could hear them, somehow, though I didn't need to listen to know that they were talking about me. They were always talking about me._

_ "Oh, shoot! That doesn't look like a horse at all!" Portia yelled, snapping me out of my dazed thoughts. I tore my eyes from the doorway and looked first at her, then at the sheet of paper in front of her. The creature she had drawn in no way resembled any animal I was familiar with, and I had to put a hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing out loud. Portia puffed up her cheeks, clearly insulted. "Well, I tried!"_

_ "Here," I said, holding up my hands and sitting a little straighter, "Let me show you what a horse looks like." Portia's face lit up, her dimples even deeper. She knew what I was about to do. I didn't do it very often, but it was one of the things that got Portia really excited. And, honestly, it excited me too. I inhaled and closed my eyes, images of horses with flowing manes and shiny hooves dancing across my vision. I could feel my fingertips heating up, that familiar warm feeling rushing through my blood as sparks danced across my arms. The feeling that ran through me, pure joy and peace, extended out through my hands. I opened my eyes, my corneas burning with light, and watched as the figure of a little electric horse began to form. Portia watched with wonder from across the table, the snapping lights of the growing little horse reflecting in her eyes._

_ "Oh, Annie Bell, I love it when you do your magic..." she said quietly, half dazed, mesmerized. I smiled widely, looking back at my hands, the little horse almost fully visible now. He was so close to being done, projected like a little life size model that I could bend to my will, but something stopped the process. My father's voice raised on the other side of the door, his anger seemingly spiking and spreading even into this room. My little horse vanished, the magic gone. Portia's smile faded and she turned to look at the door across the room from us, where the shadows had stopped moving. In a moment the door flung open, my father storming out, his massive figure flooding the room with its shadow._

_ "If you're going to degrade my parenting, then get out," he said, his voice still raised. My aunt followed behind him, her face flushed in anger._

_ "Fine!" she yelled, her back to us. It amazed me how similar my aunt and father looked, despite being born a few years apart. They looked like they could be twins; they had the same looking build, face shape, hair color, and eye color. Even though this was true, I had never met two people so different. Even Portia and I seemed identical compared to those two._

_ "Get out of my house. You don't understand the seriousness of the situation. I'm doing my best," my father spat. I frowned and looked to Portia, who was busy trying to focus on drawing her horse again, tears brimming in her eyes. I wanted to reach out to her, to try to excuse my father's words and actions and make her feel better, but I knew that wouldn't help at all._

_ "Come on, Portia. We have to go now, baby," my aunt said, helping Portia to her feet and leading her to the door._

_ "But I was going to watch Annie Bell do her magic!" she complained, looking at me sadly as she was dragged away. I flinched, feeling my father's instant irritation at the subject. I slowly turned my eyes towards him as my aunt and Portia exited the house, leaving just my father and me in this suddenly cramped feeling room._

_ "You were using your magic?" my father asked, his teeth somewhat clenched. I swallowed hard, standing up and brushing down the fabric of my little teal dress._

_ "I was just going to show Portia how to draw a horse..." I said quietly, trying not to cower as my father stepped closer._

_ "I told you never to use that. Especially not when your mother is so sick. Do you want her to die?!"_

_ "N-No!" I sputtered, my heart pounding harshly in my chest. I met my father's eyes, his filled with hatred and almost...worry. He lifted his hand high and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath in._

_Smack._

My eyes fluttered open and focused on the tiny detailed rivets on the ceiling, a wave of nausea rolling over me.

"Father..." I mumbled, the memory buzzing around in my head and clouding me from reality.

"He is gone. Do not worry." The soft voice startled me and I jolted up, a splitting pain running through my chest. I let out a strange sound and fell still, my breathing heavy. My eyes flicked to the side of my bed where the voice had come from, and I felt my body relax.

Thor.

He made a pained face and reached out to pat my shoulder a little. "I apologize. I should have made sure you knew I was here. It is currently my watch."

"Your...watch?" I asked weakly, my voice barely a whisper. I cleared my throat and turned my head towards him, trying to sit up a bit more. He nodded his head, brushing some of his golden hair behind his ear.

"One of us is watching you at all times to insure your safety. It is my turn now."

"I understand. Thank you." I lifted my stiff body and set myself up against the backboard of the bed, trying to ignore the shooting pain up my abdomen. I forced a pained smile. "I'm fine...just some mild pain." Thor gave me a look, and I sighed.

"You were...sparking. Some of us thought you were set to explode," he said.

"Explode, huh...? Well, wouldn't that fit in right with my luck," I muttered, trying to take a deep breath. "What time is it?"

"Seven forty two, A.M."

"So I guess I got a good night's sleep..." I lifted my arms and examined them, the memory of the tiny horse still plain in my mind. No, not a memory...a dream. I had only just acquired my powers from the explosion. I wouldn't have had them way back then. All of this recent nonsense was messing with my mind.

"Actually, a few nights of sleep. You have been out for quite some time. Dr. Banner says it is from the shock of your wound. He seemed concerned that you might never wake."

"Really..." I let out a deep sigh and lifted one of my shaky hands, running it through my hair. It was matted with knots, but I didn't even want to bother untangling them with my fingers. Looks didn't really matter anymore. Not now, at least.

Feeling like the silence of the room was growing more daunting and awkward by the second, I cleared my throat again and shuffled my feet around slightly. "So, you probably think I'm a lot of work, huh?" I said. I gave him a playful smile, trying to get my mind off everything. If someone had given me pain killers, they weren't working. I needed all the distraction I could get.

"Not really."

"Oh, come on. Do you know of anyone that gets into as much trouble as I do?"  
"Have you met my brother?"

"Obviously not."  
"He's more work. Trust me."

"Sure, alright." I exhaled, pain swelling in my chest. "So, you don't like your brother?"  
"I do...it's just...he's...well...he has killed people and tried to take over the world. On multiple occasions."

"...yeah, I see how that could be a lot of work." I adjusted0 myself on my pillow. I had known that someone tried to overthrow the world a few years back, but I had no idea that man was Thor's brother. At least...I didn't think I knew. That was around the time of my trip to New York with my father, which was still completely clouded over in my brain. I couldn't remember much about that time period at all. Maybe I myself had been trapped during that invasion. And, maybe I had gotten a good whack to the head. That would explain my memory loss, at least. I glanced at Thor, making a mental note to ask him more about the invasion later, when I felt better.

I took a deep breath, looking around the room.

"Can I get you anything?" Thor asked, watching my every movement with his brilliant eyes. I shrugged my shoulders, twiddling my thumbs.

"Is there anything I could read?" I asked. I was hoping that maybe if I had my face buried in a book he would stop staring at me.

"Uh...read...yes..." His eyes scanned the room, a determined look on his face. I sighed, smiling a little to myself at his effort.

"Never mind. It's okay." I said, after a few moments.

"Are you sure? If you require some kind of entertainment, I can find it for you."

"It's fine. I don't need anything."  
"Would you like to talk? I know I am not the greatest at communication when it comes to talking to people from Midgard, but...I've been told I'm a good listener."

"I don't really have much to say." I looked down at my hands, running one thumb over the other.  
"Oh, I am sure that is not true. You seem very interesting." I saw him smile his grand smile from the corner of my eye, his eyes sparkling. He really did find me intriguing, apparently. The attention was a little nerve wracking.

"Really, my life is boring. I never did anything.

"Nothing?"

"Not really. Father always wanted me to stay home. I had a lot of school work to do when I was young...so, I guess that kept me busy."

"You studied a lot?"

"Yeah. That's...basically been my whole life. I've always been able to learn pretty quickly, so I studied a lot of different things. I had many different teachers and professors that would come in and lecture and give me work, and I'd do it. Even when father couldn't afford to hire instructors, during some of the...rough times...I still studied by myself. I like learning. Always have."

"Did you ever study Asgard? Norse mythology?" Thor asked, looking even more intrigued. He sat forward a little in his chair, leaning closer to me. I swallowed and took a deep breath, trying not to look too hard at his beautiful, chiseled face. I could only hope that my cheeks weren't turning pink.

"I read a few mythology books, yeah. They were pretty interesting. I'm sure they were mostly silly stories, though, compared to what you and the other Asgardians have actually done..."

"You would be surprised how many odd things my people have done in the past." He smirked, leaning back again. I let out a quiet breath of relief. "So, you are very knowledgeable in many subjects. That is very impressive for a Midgardian, considering how little you've lived. I know scholars who've only mastered a few things in their centuries of life. It seems you have outdone them, Annabelle." He smiled a bit, and this time I could definitely feel my face heating up. I quickly tilted my head to get my hair to cover my cheeks, though the knots and twists made my hair stiff and almost impossible to work with.

"I wouldn't say that," I said quickly, quietly, "I haven't really _mastered_ anything. I'm just...fairly decent at a lot of things."

"Sounds like you could give Stark a run for his money," a new voice called from the doorway, my cheeks heating even more. I glanced up to find Steve, in a t-shirt and dark jeans, a smirk on his face.

"No, definitely not," I muttered, bringing a hand up to uselessly try to straighten out my hair.

"Thor, Stark wants you downstairs. Apparently Fury is on his way, and he needs some back up."

"Fury?" I asked.

"Should you be greeting Fury as well?" Thor asked, ignoring me.

"..Stark told me to stay out of it. We argued a little about it. I'm surprised you couldn't hear that from up here, actually." He mumbled a few choice words before continuing. "But, we decided that I'll swap watches with you. You go down. I'll stay here."

"Very well." Thor stood, his chair tipping and falling backwards onto the floor with the grand motion. Asgardians apparently were never gentle with their movements...at least, not Thor. He turned and stared at the chair for a moment, as if hoping it would set itself back up. After it didn't, he threw it back into an upright position, startling me a little. With one over-exaggerated turn he was out of the room, off to do his business. I blinked and shook my head, sinking back into my pillow. Just being in the same room as someone with so much energy in them made me jittery, and Thor definitely was very energetic.

Steve took his place in the chair, adjusting himself a bit before sitting back and getting comfortable. I tried to avoid looking at him, hoping that would somehow keep him from seeing how awful I surely looked.

"So who's Fury?" I asked, still keeping my face turned away from him.

"He's the director of SHIELD. He's a pretty powerful influence with a big personality to boot." Steve explained, taking a deep breath in. "He's a little much for my taste."

"Why is he here?" I shifted my eyes a little to try to examine Steve's face, finding that he wasn't even looking in my direction. He seemed to be focused on the wall to the side of him, like he was deep in thought.

"He visits, sometimes," he answered, and I saw his jaw shift, clenching. I watched him for a moment, confused, until suddenly it sunk in.

"...he's here for me," I said, more for myself than for him. His eyes shifted down a bit, confirming my suspicion.

"Tony will get him to go away. Don't worry," he said quietly.

"What's the big deal? He's not a bad guy, right?" I pushed myself up a bit, my pain easing more and more by the second. Maybe now, finally, the drugs were working.

"He'll want to take you back to SHIELD. Have you tested in a bunch of different things. Figure out what makes you tick. It's just bothersome, really. You don't need to deal with that."

"Sure." I turned my eyes away from him again. There was something he wasn't telling me. And this 'something' was obviously very important, considering he and the others were trying to cover it, and me, up. Why was going to SHIELD such a bad thing? As far as I knew, SHIELD was supposed to be full of the good guys. And didn't the Avengers work out of SHIELD?

"You'll be better off here," Steve commented after a moment, as if he knew the gears in my head were turning in the silence. I nodded my head in response, running a hand over the comforter.

"Could you get me something?" I asked, looking at him, this time making sure to catch his attention and meet his eyes.

"What do you need?"

"Tea. Any kind is good. It just calms my nerves."

"I can do that. Anything else?"

"I think I'm going to take a shower. So, maybe take your time with that tea? I'll only be about ten minutes. I just...don't want to embarrass the both of us and have you walk in on me..when I'm..."

"Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yes. I'll take my time," he sputtered, looking a bit flustered already. Him and I both. Just the thought of that situation made my heart beat a little bit faster and my face feel flushed.

"Thanks," I started, taking a bit of a calming breath, "I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. Holler if you need anything." he stood up and made his way towards the door, pausing for a minute. "...do you need help getting to the bathroom?"

"No, no. I'll be okay. Thank you." I faked a weak smile and he nodded, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. I waited a moment to make sure he was gone before twisting and lifting myself out of bed, standing and stretching my hands above my head. The drugs were really working now; I felt great. I walked across the room and into the bathroom, my legs stiff from being in bed for so long. I glanced over at my reflection to find my hair a huge jumbled mess, like a large bird nest nestled atop my head. I almost laughed aloud at myself, despite my embarrassment at the thought that a god and a super soldier saw me looking so ragged. I couldn't remember ever looking this bad; I usually tried to take care in my appearance, even when I didn't have to. This was a train wreck. I turned the handle, the water spurting from the shower head, almost instantly warm. I stripped off my clothes and gave myself a determined look in the mirror before stepping in, the water soothing against my chest. Funny, I hadn't even checked my wound. In fact, I hadn't even thought about it, nor did I have any interest in knowing what it looked like. I had a feeling looking at what my father was capable of doing to me was going to bring down my confidence and send me straight back to bed, and I didn't want to chance that. I was going to meet this Fury. And, finally, I was going to be a voice for myself.


	11. Chapter 11

When Steve returned with my tea, a respectful twenty minutes later, I was showered and dressed and looking like my old self once again. It must have caught him by surprise when he walked in and saw the shape I was in, his eyes widening a little as if he couldn't believe I looked so healthy. I could hardly believe it myself. While I still never looked at my wound, I couldn't forget the fact that I'd stabbed in the chest, which would normally have fatal consequences. Yet, here I was, up and ready to go like nothing happened.

"Are you feeling better?" Steve asked, slowly, like he was still processing. He handed over my tea, giving me a once over, as if he was expecting me to be an illusion.

"Yeah, a lot better, actually," I said, smiling and taking the tea. The cup was warm against my palms, the steam reaching up and tickling my nose.

"That's great to hear. You look better. _A lot _better." He took a deep breath. "You're sure you're fine?"

"Yes."

"Not feeling any pain?"

"Nope."  
"Nothing at all strange?" I thought about this for a moment, then shrugged my shoulders. There did seem to be some odd feeling lingering in my chest, but I couldn't decide if it was bad or not. It was simply...different. Steve crossed his arms. "I think you should still rest. You may feel fine, but I'm sure you're not one hundred percent yet."

"Right...it's probably just the drugs, huh? You must have me on some powerful stuff." I took a sip of my tea.

"We didn't give you any drugs." Steve said, looking at me oddly. "Bruce said he didn't know how you'd react, and he didn't want to risk it. Whatever euphoria and pain relief you're feeling...you're doing it yourself."

"No drugs. Wait, really?" I took another sip, my mind turning. Had I somehow gained intense healing abilities? It didn't really seem to fit in with the rest of what I'd discovered yet, but I couldn't push the idea away. If that was the case, maybe I really was something extraordinary.

Steve cleared his throat a little, still watching me. I glanced up at him, inhaling some of the steam.

"I want to meet Fury," I said, to which he immediately shook his head.

"No. Not now. You don't have to. We'll get everything settled and the—where are you going?" As he talked I had slowly made my way more towards the door, setting my tea on the dresser. I didn't answer him, opening the door and exiting the room. It took him only seconds to catch up to me, his arms suddenly around my torso, pulling me back. I struggled a little, clearly making no progress.

"Let go."  
"No. You don't understand the situation. You can't see him right now, okay? Just let us handle it," he said, sternly. I waited a moment, struggling again, his arm tightening around me.

Then, without warning, I yelled, "Ouch!" As I suspected, Steve dropped his arms, stepping back.

"I'm so sorry. I almost forgot about...are you okay?" he sputtered, giving me enough time to take off running down the hall and away from him. "Wh—hey!" he yelled, running after me. He must have forgotten that I was faster, and he trailed behind me as I hit the stairs and continued downward. In a few seconds I was at the door to the main room, skidding to a stop and taking a moment to fluff my hair and take a deep, calming breath in. I could hear talking from the inside, everyone's voices somewhat on edge. I heard Tony crack a joke, but no laughter followed. Heavy steps behind me indicated that Steve was on his way, and I quickly moved into the room. I was met by four faces: Tony, Thor, a woman with red hair, and a dark man with a very intimidating eye patch across his left eye. I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat, and instinctively bowed my head a little. Steve slid into the room beside me, looking slightly out of breath and a little flustered at the thought that he was too late to stop me.

"Sorry for barging in, sir," I started, lifting my head to face the man with the eye patch, assuming he was Fury. He stared at me for a moment, raising an eyebrow, then crossed his arm and rolled his visible eye over to Tony, who ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"'We don't have her', he says. Mmmhm," he said, a heavy layer of sass in his voice.

"I may have been stretching the truth a bit," Tony said under his breath, pushing his tongue against the inside of his cheek and giving me a look. I glanced at him for a moment before locking my eyes on Fury.

"I understand you've come to see me," I said, smiling ever so slightly. "Something I can help you with?"

"A lot, actually. But we'll start somewhere solid. Are you aware that other people like you are being killed off by an unknown source?" he asked, turning his good eye to me. My smile faltered, my mouth dropping open a little. This definitely wasn't a question I could even begin to answer, and was definitely not what I expected.

"My people? What do you mean by that?" I asked, and Steve, still beside me, cleared his throat.

"Fury, she doesn't remember anything. She's got amnesia. She doesn't know what you're talking about," he said, somewhat quickly.

"Excuse me, what?" I stepped a little closer to Fury. "What should I remember? Is there something big I should know? What do you mean 'people like me'?" My heart thumped wildly in my chest, my head burning suddenly with agitated energy. The redheaded woman next to Fury stepped forward, standing defensively.

"Back up and take a deep breath, Ms. Green," she growled under her breath, holding her hand out for me to step back. I took a shaky breath and nodded my head a little, backing myself up a few steps. As I did so she pulled a file out from under her arm, holding it out for Steve to take. He did.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I just...mentioning my lost memories makes me agitated. Really agitated. Crazy, actually. It drives me completely mad that I can't remember..." I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, collecting myself. "Sorry."

"How long have you been without memories?" Fury asked, seemingly unfazed by my threatening actions.

"I...I don't know. Two years? I can't remember bits of my past...entire chunks of my life are just gone. I know they're there...in my head, swimming around somewhere. I just can't find them." I gave him a somewhat pleading look. "If you know something about my past, I-" I was cut off by a deafening shriek, my mouth still hanging open from my interrupted words. I clapped my hands over my ears, my legs suddenly feeling weak, my body trembling. For a moment, I thought I was the only one who could hear it, everyone else in the room watching me with worry as my body fell, my knees hitting the floor. Then, suddenly, they were covering their ears as well, looks of terror on their faces. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, nausea rolling over me, my head exploding with pain, and then...it was over. Just as suddenly as it had started, the sound was gone.

I took a few gasps of air, sweat running down my neck, and slowly lifted my hands from my ears, looking around at everyone. They all seemed to be just as flustered and confused as I was. A hand clapped down on my shoulder and another took my arm, helping me up off the floor. Without looking I knew it was Steve, but I couldn't form the words 'thank you' at the moment. Instead, my thoughts were on something completely different; from where I was standing I had a good view of one of the large windows lining Stark Tower, and from this window I saw something horrifying. Just beyond the glass was what looked to be a giant, scale shaped ship, the white metal glistening as the sun hit its edges. The redheaded woman standing next to Fury noticed it too, cocking her head to the side ever so slightly, her short hair bobbing with the movement.

"What on Earth is that?" she asked, slowly heading towards the window. I hesitated a moment, still shaken, before following after her, looking up at the ship as soon as I got close enough to the glass.

"Is it Chitauri?" I heard Steve ask from behind us, my eyes still locked on the gleaming metal. I had never seen something so daunting and beautiful at the same time.

"Doesn't look like it," the woman answered, turning away from the window and stepping back towards the group. I stayed put, pressing my hand against the glass.

"Should we schedule an evacuation? Get people out?" Steve asked.

"No. We'll wait. See what this thing really is," Fury answered, his voice low. "Although, I don't have a good feeling about this."

"Then why not take care of it now? Take precautions? We need to protect people," Steve argued back, his voice irritated. I remembered him telling me earlier that he wasn't the fondest of Fury, and I had a feeling they didn't agree on things too often. I turned my head and watched them, the tension in the room rising.

"The people will be fine. If it does something threatening, we'll send people out there. But until then, no one touches it."

"We don't want to make it seem like we're attacking," Natasha added.

"But-" I watched as Steve tried to come up with something else to say, eventually giving up, his jaw clenching. I scratched the back of my neck, the small hairs raising against my fingers. I blinked and quickly turned around, in time to see what looked to be a shard of the brilliant white ship hurling towards me. I didn't have time to react, my body frozen, the shard colliding with the window. I was suddenly thrown down by Steve, his shield coming up over our heads as glass was sprayed around us, clanking against the metal like lethal drops of rain. His massive frame crashed against mine, my ribs cracking under the pressure. I let a small sound of pain escape my lips, squeezing my eyes shut as I waited for the sound of the glass rain to stop, leaving us in a strange silence. Steve quickly lifted himself away from me, to my relief, grabbing my arm and helping me up.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes darting around my face. I wrapped my arm around my chest, taking a painful breath in. He took note of my arm, guilt lining his features. "I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry, you saved my life," I sputtered, "a few cracked ribs is nothing."  
"I should have been more careful...Dr. Banner?"

"On it." Bruce made his way over, gently grabbing my shoulders and steering me towards the couch. I caught sight of the metal shard that had crashed through the window as I made my way to the sofa, the white material gleaming with the light of the room. From this close it looked to be etched with several strange symbols, winding around the shape like twisted rivers. I had to admit, it was extremely beautiful.

"Natasha, get some agents down here to analyze this," Fury spoke, looking at her. She nodded her head and immediately got to work, her phone pressed to her ear as she exited the room. Tony was standing a fair distance from the shard, his hand curled over his chin in a thinking position.

"Let me know when it hurts," Bruce said, bringing my attention somewhat back to my new wound. I nodded my head once, glancing back at the shard as Bruce gently pressed around my torso. "Your upper body can't seem to catch a break, hm?"

"Mm…" I mumbled.

"Stark, Rogers, with me. We have some things to discuss." Fury said sternly, nodding his head towards the door. Both men nodded and followed him out, leaving Bruce and I alone. I took a deep breath, focusing my eyes on where they exited.

"Nothing?" Bruce asked, his voice quiet.

"I think I'm okay," I responded, keeping my gaze straight, "Must have heard something else crack and assumed it was my ribs."

"Or, you just healed between then and now. That's a possibility, hm?" He stood up, rubbing one hand over the other.

"They're talking about me, aren't they?" I asked, unable to focus on any other conversational topic at the moment. Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"A giant metal piece belonging to an alien ship just crashed into the room, and you think they're talking about you?" he asked, almost comically. I shifted my eyes and looked at him, my expression not changing. He stared at me for a minute and then sighed. "...they could be talking about you. Maybe. But we don't know, so don't worry about it, alright?"

"Why me? What's so special about me? Except for the fact that I've just developed freak powers that I don't know how to control..." I put my hands over my face and rubbed my eyes.

"I think you're a lot more special than you realize, Annabelle," He grabbed my head gently, shaking it around a little. "Don't worry about them. Just take it easy. You're so high strung."

"Yes, I am," I sighed, dropping my hands into my lap. "I can't help it."

"Try." He sat down in the chair nearby, lacing his hands together. I slowly fell back to lay against the couch, closing my eyes. I took one calming breath in and let my shoulders relax, trying to remember a time where things seemed okay. It was a long stretch back in time, but it was there. If only I could just stay there, everything would be fine. If only I never had to open my eyes.

But, I did have to open my eyes. And, when I did, it was because the nausea came back. It was there suddenly, like some horrible unwanted guest in my gut. My eyelids snapped open as my vision spun, and I grabbed the arm of the couch to steady myself, even though I was seated firmly.

"Annabelle, you alright?" Bruce asked, crouching down by me. I tried to focus on his face, but my eyes wouldn't settle.

"Dizzy," I sputtered out, letting my eyes wander to the shard of metal in the room, its designs twirling and melding together as my head spun on.

"Do you need a glass of water?" he asked, slowly, and I shook my head. "Maybe you should sit back down." I blinked once and turned my head to look back at him. I hadn't even realized I had moved to stand, yet here I was, suddenly several feet away from the couch. I opened my mouth but promptly shut it, realizing I had nothing to say for myself. I slowly made my way back to the couch and sat down, covering my face with my hands, the light of the room peeking through my fingers and into my eyes.

"I don't belong here," I said into my hands, squeezing my eyes shut. "I'm used to being alone, out of the spotlight, away from all of...this. My father was right. I need to go back."

"You keep saying that," Bruce said, pausing for a moment, "...but is that how you really feel? Or are you just too scared to be out of your comfort zone?"

"I don't have a comfort zone," I dropped my hands into my lap, keeping my eyes shut, my nausea passing. "The only bit of comfort I've ever experienced in my life was when I was with my mother. Away from my father. Away from the science. Not thinking about anything but her and me." I swallowed, a lump swelling in my throat. "But she's been gone for years, and I have nothing."

"You only have nothing when you push yourself away from people like us, who are trying to help. Let us help."

"You can't help..!" My corneas burned suddenly as I looked over at him, frustrated. He furrowed his brow. We sat in silence.

Fury and the others returned after what seemed like an eternity, Fury sidestepping the giant metal shard in the room as if it were a misplaced toy. He stole a glance at it before turning his eyes to us.

"Anything suspicious happen while we were away?" he asked. Bruce and I shook our heads.

"It hasn't moved an inch," Bruce stood.

"It feels weird." I said, staring over at it once again. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and immediately regretted speaking, that lump again forming in my throat. Father always said to keep quiet.

"What do you mean?" someone asked, but I shook my head, keeping my eyes on the metal.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I don't know why I said that. Sorry." I lowered my head in submission, shutting my lips tight. I had no place speaking. I couldn't say anything right.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" I looked up at the speaker, Steve, and shook my head.

"Why would I? I never left my house. Ever." Steve nodded his head once, looking down.

"…touch it," Fury said. I looked over at him, confused.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Fury…" Natasha spoke up beside him, giving him a skeptical look.

"Go ahead. Do it. I want to see what happens," he said, firmer.

"Sir, I don't think-"

"Do you want to be helpful, or do you want to be dead weight while the rest of us try to figure this out?" His tone struck something in me, a chill running up my spine. I swallowed and nodded my head once, standing once more and heading towards the metal object. I hesitantly placed my hand along a smooth section, finding it surprisingly warm to the touch. I expected something to happen, some big display, some indication that Fury was onto something, but nothing happened. I just stood there, suddenly feeling like an idiot. I wanted to crawl back to the couch and sink into it, never to emerge again.

"Is something supposed to happen?" Steve asked, my embarrassment spiking. I wanted to help, I really did. This was just pathetic. I couldn't even pull my hand away, even though it was obvious nothing was going to happen. _Just pull your hand away and shake it off, Annabelle. That's all you have to do._

"Hey, she powered down my entire tower, you'd think she'd be able to do something with this," Tony added. _Pull your hand away. Stop making a fool of yourself._

"Maybe she can't work with something that isn't electrical?" They were talking about me like I wasn't even in the room. _Pull your hand away, now._

"Thor's hammer isn't electrical."

"What happened with Thor's hammer?" _Just pull your hand awa-_

Suddenly the metal shifted underneath my fingertips, pushing inward like dough. The effect was too fast for me to react, and suddenly the metal hardened and shot forward, gripping my forearm like sharp claws. A sound of shock, semi resembling a squeal, left my lips as everyone turned towards me, the tension and surprise lingering in the room suddenly skyrocketing. I could feel not only my own fear, but the fear of everyone else in the room as they leaped into action. Steve wrapped his arms around the body of the metal, Thor going to work trying to pry the 'arms' off of my skin. I should have acted, moved to help free myself, but the fear in the room was immobilizing.

I could only watch as the standing metal melded and changed, opening up like an egg as a creature from within emerged. It was smaller than the average human, more like a large dog, but what it lacked in size it gained in intimidation. Its skin was the same sheer white metal of the ship hovering outside, swirls of off colored lines spiraling around its limbs. Its head was large and rounded, but it seemed to have no visible eyes. It bared a set of horrifyingly large teeth that lined every inch of its gigantic mouth that stretched nearly around its entire head. The metal clamped to my arm appeared to be its actual claws, the white tips of it now stained with the deep red of my blood. I hadn't even realized it had broken skin. Instead, I was so fixated on those off color lines, the patter mesmerizing. I could hear people yelling, struggling, around me, but all of the voices seemed so distant. I could barely even feel the fear that had been so strong not moments earlier. All I could focus on were those lines. The erratic thumping of my heart slowed.

Those mysterious off colored lines began to bleed a blinding bright blue, the new color washing over the previous like a glossy coat of paint. I felt the pressure on my arm being released as the creature crept backwards at its own pace, as if Steve and Thor weren't pulling and pushing it from all directions in attempts to get rid of it. The shell from which it emerged bent and connected to the creature's back, locking into place in giant metallic wings. A surge of electricity coursed through the room, but for the first time in this place I wasn't the one who was causing it. The creature let out a shriek, that same nauseating sound from before, then stretched its newly attached wings and headed for the window from which it crashed. I didn't realize the long spiny tail it had until it whacked me across the face as the creature made its way out, stunning me. Stars danced across my vision, and the creature was gone. Then, for what felt like the millionth time in the past few days, I blacked out.


	12. Chapter 12

Hi friends.

Chapter Twelve has been melded with Chapter Eleven.

Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

I woke up to the sound of shrieking and clawing, my brain taking a moment to process that I was, in fact, not dreaming. I blinked away the fog in my eyes and surveyed my surroundings, finding myself laid out across the counter in Tony's kitchen. The stone was cold against the bare skin of my arms. After a few moments I also realized that I wasn't alone, everyone else standing around the room as well. Even though this kitchen was huge, it seemed so much smaller with so many people crammed into it.

"You're up. Good," Natasha said, suddenly standing beside me. I stared at her, my brain spinning. There was something missing...something I couldn't put my finger on.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice horse.

"After that first one left, we got a visit from several more...creatures. We've been hiding out in here for a while. Clint's trying to fly over her to get us out."

"Clint…" I repeated to myself. I still didn't feel right, almost like I was stuck between being asleep and awake.

"Speaking of Clint, he's here," someone from across the room said. I rolled my head to the side to get a view of the window, where a jet of some sort was nearing. My vision blurred around the edges as the others rushed around me and towards the window. I could hear glass shatter, some fumbled footsteps, the shrill blast of Tony's thrusters, and the ongoing growling from the other side of the door. I felt so overwhelmed. I could feel my body lift, my head bobbing to the side a bit and my hair falling over my shoulders. It took me few moments to conclude that someone had picked me up and was carrying me through the now broken window. I couldn't focus enough on my surroundings to figure out how we got there, but suddenly we were inside of a metal room, wind whipping around me. I squeezed my eyes shut and then blinked rapidly, trying to blink away the fog that gathered across my vision. I could hear people talking, yelling, that wind so loud in my ears. Then, it hit me.

The moment I realized we were inside of the jet my vision was plagued by a different kind of problem, dark figures flicking their slim fingers towards me, nausea hitting me hard. I could feel panic overwhelm me, my breathing becoming rapid as I struggled to get away from my holder. People were still saying things, but I couldn't hear them. The only thing I could hear was that damn wind. My mind spun as the figures around the plane closed in on me, their fingers cold against my skin. They flickered and skipped as they got closer and closer. I knew they weren't real. In the back of my mind I knew they weren't there, weren't on this plane, and I was safe. But that panic only grew within me, like a dark poison bleeding through my core. Memories flashed across my eyes, quick, unrecognizable, my head splitting with pain. I could feel the hard metal ground beneath my feet but I didn't feel like I was there. I was floating somewhere else entirely, between a memory and my current reality. I was confused, scared, wondering when the flashes of terror were going to stop running through my head.

I felt a force wrap around me, strong and warm, squeezing some of the panic away. My face was pressed up against firm fabric, the memories dissipating all at once. It was quiet, the slight hum of the plane's engine rumbling under the soles of my shoes. I inhaled through my nose slowly, my heart still beating rapidly against my ribs. The fabric I was up against was a nice royal blue color, a calming blue, though I still couldn't peg the person wearing it. It took me a few moments before I was able to lift my eyes, eventually meeting Steve's. I should have been able to figure out from the beginning that Steve was the one holding me, judging by the strong arms and tall frame, but I hadn't let any of that register.

"They're gone," I said quietly.

"Who's gone?" he asked. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat, trying to clear my mind. I'd never experienced hallucinations like that before. Why did they even happen?

"Not who. What." I inhaled. "My abilities. They're gone. They're not here."  
"How is that possible? How can you tell?"

"Maybe you're just freaked out," a female, most likely Natasha, said from behind me.

"No, they're definitely gone. I can't feel anyone. I can't tell who anyone is." I stared back at that blue fabric, trying to focus.

"You can see, can't you?" a male voice asked, "and you can hear? You should be able to distinguish who everyone is that way, right?" I nodded my head slowly, still processing.

"That's what normal people do, isn't it?" I asked, mumbling somewhat under my breath. Normal people. Humans. Humans identified each other by examining features and remembering which features belonged to whom. Humans had to turn around to see who was standing behind them, or at least be able to identify someone talking judging by their voice. But that's not how I did it. I just _knew _who people were. I sensed them. I felt their individual presences. I could tell who was in a room two doors down from me with my eyes closed. But...it didn't register to me that I was different. Now, though, it was painfully obvious. I couldn't feel anyone on the jet with me. No one. It was...lonely.

"Maybe you should sit down," Steve said, gently taking me by the shoulders and leading me to a bench on the plane, sitting me down. I took a moment to scan around the room, looking at where everyone was standing so I could remember it later. That is, unless they moved. What a horrible thing, not to know where everyone is at all times…

"I'm so sorry if I made a spectacle," I started, slowly, "I don't know what happened. As soon as I realized we were on a plane I just...I lost it. It triggered something."

"Are you afraid of planes?" I turned my head to see that it was Tony talking, his back up against the metal wall of the plane.

"I haven't exactly been on a lot of them. So, no, I don't think so. But…" I looked down at my hands, running my thumbs over each other, "…my mother died on a plane. Maybe it's a psychological thing."

"That's entirely possible." Bruce said, cleaning his glasses with his shirt. I nodded a little, more to myself, and laid my head back against the cool metal. The plane hummed against my hair.

"Where are we going?" I asked after a few moments.

"Someplace safe where we can do more research on these things." Tony answered.

"Shouldn't you stay back and fight?"  
"Normally we would. But this particular situation is tricky." He leaned away from the wall, keeping his arms crossed. "That one creature that attacked you started acting strange soon after you blacked out, twitching around. And then it turned our lights out, messed with my systems. Just like you did." He nodded at me, then dropped his hands to his sides. "If you think you've lost your abilities, I think I know where they went. And if my speculation is correct, there's no way we can risk fighting them."  
"Yeah, imagine a Hulk version of one of those things. Yeee," a male voice from the front of the jet called. I glanced over, trying to get a good look at him. Unfortunately from my position all I could make out was a fluff of messy dirty blonde hair, the rest of him hidden by the pilot chair. I blinked.

"So you think these things have the power to take abilities away from…gifted individuals?" I wasn't sure how to word it, but that seemed polite enough. I looked back at the others.

"I'm saying I don't want to find out. We need to get to this place as quick as possible and send an alert to the other 'gifteds' out there. Tell them not to fight." Tony walked to the front of the plane, looking down at the controls. I pulled my knees to my chest, trying to get used to this new, 'lonely' feeling. It shouldn't have felt so foreign to me. I had been perfectly normal until that explosion. I should have been used to this. I rested my forehead on my knees and tried to make sense of what was happening, my mind in knots. I felt like I couldn't think fast enough, like my thoughts were moving agonizingly slow. Had the new abilities really affected me so much in such a short time, and now that they were gone I felt like I'd lost something huge? What was going to happen to me if I couldn't recuperate and function without them? I felt a hand on my shoulder and let my eyes close, taking a calming breath. The jet sped off through the air, towards our faraway destination, and I didn't move an inch the entire ride.


	14. Chapter 14

Anthony Stark was no modest man. Of course, everyone knew this. Even I knew it, with the limited knowledge I had about the world around me. He liked things to be extravagant, over the top, and awe inspiring. So, I didn't expect anything else when it came to one of his secret bunkers. He tried to explain it in detail while we were all trapped on the jet, boasting about how many things he had installed there.

"It'll be just like the tower in terms of technology. I mean, did you really think I'd go anywhere without Jarvis? And don't worry about it being some run down dump. It's not, I can assure you that." He went on and on. Between his rambling, the hum of the plane, and my steadily growing headache, I wanted nothing more than to be back on the ground. Especially if I started to get hallucinations again, or whatever they were. They were terrifying, and I didn't want to trigger them by staying on this jet too long.

"How long until we get there?" I asked, keeping my eyelids shut tight to block out the light streaming through the glass at the front of the jet.

"Almost to the halfway point, where we'll switch jets," the man driving the jet answered. I'd discovered that this man was indeed Clint, who was a high ranking agent of SHIELD. He was sarcastic, cracked a lot of jokes, and apparently had a killer aim. At least, that's what Natasha had said.

"We're switching jets?" I asked, my stomach lurching at the thought. If the next jet was any smaller than this one, or any less comfortable, I was going to consider walking...even though I didn't exactly know the destination.

"This one had low fuel in the first place. It can't get us all the way there. Besides, we don't know if those things had any sort of tracking device that they pegged us with. It's just better to switch before we get to our final destination," Natasha explained. I tried to stifle my sigh and nodded my head once in understanding, warily opening my eyes. Maybe at our next stop I could get a glass of water, and something to eat. Oddly enough, I was starving. And it was rare that I ever really felt starving. I'd never been one to eat very much. Although I'd gone quite a long time without eating. It was incredible I was still standing.

"Maybe you should get up and walk around. Stretch a little," Steve suggested, but I shook my head. I still hadn't moved from my position, holding my legs securely to my chest, which was starting to ache. Probably from the curled up position I'd let myself be in for a good few hours. Or, you know, the stab wound.

"I'm okay. I'll move when we land." Steve gave me a wary look but nodded his head, looking towards the front of the plane so that the sun hit his face directly, highlighting every glorious feature. I tried not to stare, but my mind was too tired to think logically and I did it anyway. He didn't seem to notice, thank goodness, but someone else did. Tony nudged my shoulder roughly, giving me a big grin when I turned my head to face him. I could feel my cheeks heating up with embarrassment and quickly hid my face in my knees. What was wrong with me? I knew not to stare. Staring was rude. But there was something about his face...that handsome, chiseled face...I squeezed my eyes shut again, mentally beating myself up. _Stop it, Annabelle. Now is not the time._ I sucked in a deep breath, my aching chest twisting with discomfort. I reached a hand up and set it against my shirt, trying to squish it between my knees and breasts so that I could feel my heartbeat. Bruce did say that my heart beat remarkably fast. Now that I was lacking abilities, was it still beating that way? That would be a logical reason why my chest would be so sore. I waited and held my hand against the fabric of my shirt firmly. _One, two, three, four, five, six..._after counting to ten seconds I didn't feel a single beat. I held my breath, trying not to panic, my body stiff. I counted out a few more seconds, slowly, carefully, but still felt nothing. If my heart was beating, it wasn't beating strong enough for me to feel it. I slowly pulled my hand back out and wrapped my arm back around my knees, trying to keep myself calm. I wasn't going to tell anybody. No one needed to know. They had so much to worry about, and I was the least of their problems. Maybe I was just crazy, and the beat really was there. I went with that, hoping to keep my mind at ease. _Everything is fine._

The jet landed about twenty minutes later, touching down on a runway that seemed to stretch out from the middle of nowhere. A little farther off I could see buildings, the SHIELD logo proudly branded on the sides. To my surprise, there was snow dusted on the ground. I'd never seen snow. I quickly hoisted myself up, stumbling a little as the blood flowed through my dead legs again. I grabbed onto Bruce, the nearest person, and waited until my legs were fully functional before quickly heading to the exit of the plane. I pulled open the metal door and stepped down onto the ground, a chilled wind suddenly whipping up around me, snow crystals settling against my bare legs. A small squeak of surprise left my lips as I lifted my now powder covered legs, goosebumps rapidly raising across my entire body. I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing the skin of my arms furiously to keep warm. The snow was already melting against the heat of my leg, a sensation that I'd never experienced before. As cold as it was, it felt amazing.

"First time in the snow?" Steve asked, hopping down beside me. I nodded my head quickly, looking up into the clouded sky. A flake fell directly into my eye, a stinging cold sensation running over my cornea. I blinked and brought my hand up to rub it, tilting my head back down.

"It's beautiful," I said, still rubbing at my eye. Thank goodness I had decided against mascara this morning.

"It is, isn't it?" He looked around, squinting his eyes a little. Even though it was overcast the area was still bright.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Uh, that's classified, sorry." It took me a moment to realize the voice belonged to Clint. I turned and looked at him, seeing his face straight on for the first time. He was handsome, a lazy smirk hanging on his lips, his eyes bright.

"That's hardly fair," I said.

"SHIELD is never fair. Get used to it." He looked me over. "...who are you, anyway? Where'd they pick you up?"

"Annabelle. I, uh, broke into Tony's tower. Kind of screwed a lot of things up…" I scratched the back of my neck, the area still heavily populated by goosebumps. Clint took a moment, staring at my face.

"...awesome."

"Yeah? You think?" I smiled a little, more to myself, and shrugged my shoulders.

"And did I overhear that you've got superpowers?"  
"I...I had them. For a very short amount of time..." I looked down at the snow, little sparkles swirling around my goosebump covered legs. "I got them in an...accident...and apparently just lost them to whatever attacked back at the tower."

"Barton, go ask Nat about it. She'll give you a file to read," Steve said, nodding at Clint.

"Got it."  
"Let's get you inside before you freeze over, alright?" Steve took my arm, his palm warm, and led me towards the SHIELD building, my shoes slipping and sliding across the icy ground beneath us. He pulled me through the front doors, where an amazing wave of heat hit me instantly, and dropped my arm as soon as we got far enough inside. "I'll get an agent to look around for something you can wear. You stay right here," Steve said, nodding at me once before heading off. There were several agents in the room, all going about their business, a few of them stealing glances at me as they passed by. I felt vulnerable and exposed, wrapping my arms tighter around myself as I stood there in the middle of the floor like an idiot.

"So, welcome to the crazy world of SHIELD," Tony said, slapping a hand down on my shoulder. I made a startled sound and quickly clapped a hand over my mouth, not expecting his presence. A sly smile lined his lips. He knew. He had every intention of scaring me. I took a moment before letting my hand drop, swallowing hard.

"...thanks," I mumbled.

"Don't worry. They're not too scary. I think I'd use the word...curious."

"Curious?"

"Yup. Can't keep their noses out of anyone's business."

"Sounds like someone else I know," I said, glancing at him. He opened his mouth to protest but then shut it, turning and walking off in a different direction. I waved behind his back, laughing under my breath. Tony was hard to read, still, but I felt like I was getting the hang of it bit by bit. Mr. Playboy billionaire was nothing but a sensitive little boy that didn't take anything seriously. I could work with that.

I followed everyone around as they traveled through the base, looking for things that we needed before setting off again. I hadn't seen Clint since we landed, but Natasha had stayed pretty close by me the entire time, watching me.

"Where did Fury go?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable that no one was speaking. "He was with us at the tower. Shouldn't he have been on our jet?"

"He took off right before we got attacked. When you passed out," Natasha explained, still trailing behind me. I was following Tony, who was making his way around while munching on a bag of chips he found along the way. I was pretty sure the chips were part of someone's lunch, but I doubt that even fazed Tony. If he wanted something, he'd have it.

"Lucky break," I said. She made a noise in agreement.

"So where are you from?" She picked up her pace and fell into step beside me, making me a little less uneasy. I didn't like talking to someone who was keeping her distance from me like I was some kind of experiment.

"I guess the correct answer is Germany. I was born there. But I've lived in Japan for most of my life."

"Your accent is cute," she said with a smirk, looking at me. My face flushed.

"Oh, thanks." I smiled a little. "Most people say that it's odd. Some people used to immediately tell me to shut up..." I mumbled.

"That's rude."

"Tell me about it."

"I said it was quirky," Tony commented ahead of us. Natasha and I exchanged a look. After a moment of realizing he was being ignored, he turned to look over his shoulder at us.

"Turn around, Stark," Natasha said with a grin, and he obeyed. She shot me a smile. "Have you ever been to America?"

"I came to New York a few years ago with my father for a convention. I don't really remember the trip, though. Apparently I have a nasty case of long term amnesia."

"Yikes. That doesn't sound fun."

"Yeah, sometimes it's a little annoying."

"Hey, there's some things I wish I didn't remember," Tony said.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you'd want the memories back as soon as you couldn't remember them. It drives me crazy sometimes, knowing there's something there that I can't get to." I said bitterly. That shut him up. We walked in silence until we ran into a group of agents a few turns later, standing around and chatting. Some of them looked young, new, while others were aged. One woman in particular stood out to me immediately, a brunette with dark eyes that met mine the minute we caught their attention.

"Shoot, and here I was hoping we wouldn't run into any of you," Tony said, halfheartedly.

"Are those my chips? Did you take my chips?" one of the younger male agents asked, but Tony waved him off.

"They're mine now."

"Bu-"

"Annabelle," the brunette woman spoke up, stepping towards our little group of three. I blinked, caught off guard, and pointed at myself like an idiot. She surveyed me, looking almost concerned.

"I apologize," I said slowly, "but do I know you?" She hesitated a moment.

"...I need to make a phone call, excuse me," she said, quickly turning. I looked at Natasha, confused, but she shook her head.

"Sorry to bother you, ladies and gents," she said, pulling Tony and I back. "You keep having your little circle chat. We'll be going." She led us back the way we came, not speaking until we were far enough out of ear shot. "Sorry about her."

"Who is she?" I asked, "And how does she know my name?"

"Her name is Kathrine Zindel. She's one of our gifted agents."

"And she always has a stick up her ass," Tony added. Natasha shot him a look.

"Kathrine," I repeated. "I do know her."

"You do?" She asked. I nodded, my mind wandering.

"I don't remember how I know her, though. But...I know that name. And I feel like I recognized her face. Her eyes."

"Creepy," Tony mumbled, and Natasha harshly elbowed him.

"That's more possible than you think. And I suddenly have a lot of questions," she said. I didn't bother asking what she meant. I knew she wasn't going to explain, otherwise she would have elaborated in the first place. I was slowly getting used to being kept in the dark. "I'll catch up with you guys on the jet. Just don't get into any trouble, okay?"

"No promises," Tony said. She waved him off and disappeared down the next hallway, leaving us alone. I watched as he threw the now empty chip bag away and brushed off his fingers, surveying the area. "You cold, Green?" he asked me, turning to face me after looking around. I shrugged my shoulders and rubbed my legs together a little. Though it wasn't cold in this building, the memory of the freezing snow filled air from outside was still very present in my mind.

"I guess," I answered.

"I bet we could get you something here. One of those fancy SHIELD outfits. Maybe something tight and with a zipper..." He mumbled the rest to himself, examining his surroundings again. "I'll be right back. Stay here. Don't move."

"I-" He left me behind, going down a different hall than Natasha. I slowly fell back against the wall, feeling anxious that I was suddenly alone in a place of people that would probably love to question me and test on me. Then again, since I no longer had the abilities, I probably didn't matter at all to them. I touched my fingertips together rhythmically, praying someone I knew came back for me before too long. What if they forgot about me and all flew off in the jet? I'd hoped I'd made enough of an impact on them that they wouldn't just leave me, but I never could be sure. Maybe their plan was to leave me here all along.

"Annabelle," a familiar voice called from down the hall, catching my attention. I looked up to see the woman before, the one they had called Kathrine, heading towards me. I perked up and leaned away from the wall, dropping my hands to my sides.

"Yes?" I asked, slowly. She approached me and looked me over, then held out a small triangular object that looked to be made out of some shiny metal.

"Take it. And open it when you feel ready," she said. I furrowed my brow, taking the pyramid out of her hand and placing it in the palm of my own. It fit comfortably there, the metal warm from where she had been holding it.

"What is it..?" I asked, "And what do you mean 'when I feel ready'?"

"You'll know. Just don't do it now. Or on the jet. Wait until you're in a secure location. Okay?" I stared at her for a moment and then nodded my head.

"Okay," I said quietly.

"Good. I hope to see you soon." She patted the side of my arm and walked away, her hair swishing behind her in little waves. All I could do was stare until she disappeared, the metal still warm against my hand.

"...what in the hell?" I murmured quietly in German, thoroughly confused. I held up the metal pyramid and brought it close to my face to examine it. What was I supposed to do with this? Apparently it opened. Was there something inside that would be significant to me?

"There you are," Bruce snapped me out of my thoughts, my body twitching a little in surprise. I quickly stuffed the metal object into my pants pocket, where it awkwardly stuck out in a little point underneath the fabric.

"Here I am, yes," I said. He raised an eyebrow but didn't question me, stopping a few feet before me.

"Natasha says she has some sweats and a hoodie for you to keep you warm, if you want them."

"Oh, yeah, that would be great." I smiled a little, following him as he took me down the hall.

"Things are kind of overwhelming here, I know," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "And this is only an eighth of the size of some of the other SHIELD bases."

"That's terrifying," I mumbled.

"It is, isn't it? They try to do good, though. SHIELD. They're not bad people." I nodded a little.

"Natasha is with SHIELD, isn't she? And Clint?"

"That's right."

"They seem nice."  
"They are. Once you get to know them." He smiled at me and gestured towards a side room. "Uh, this is where Natasha left your stuff. I think it's also a bathroom, so, you can...do whatever you need to do. It's going to be kind of a long ride to where we're going, so, I suggest you...you know…"

"Yeah, yeah," I said quickly, "thank you."

"We'll be leaving soon, I think, so just head out to that main room if you can find it. If not, someone will find you, I'm sure."

"Okay." I stepped backwards into the bathroom.

"See you later, then." He waved a little and scuttled off, his shoulders hunched. From his actions, I guessed he really didn't like being here. Then again, Bruce seemed a little skittish all the time. I suppose if I had a scary green monster living inside of me, I'd be cautious too.

I shut the door.


	15. Chapter 15

I followed everyone around as they traveled through the base, looking for things that we needed before setting off again. I hadn't seen Clint since we landed, but Natasha had stayed pretty close by me the entire time, watching me.

"Where did Fury go?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable that no one was speaking. "He was with us at the tower. Shouldn't he have been on our jet?"

"He took off right before we got attacked. When you passed out," Natasha explained, still trailing behind me. I was following Tony, who was making his way around while munching on a bag of chips he found along the way. I was pretty sure the chips were part of someone's lunch, but I doubt that even fazed Tony. If he wanted something, he'd have it.

"Lucky break," I said. She made a noise in agreement.

"So where are you from?" She picked up her pace and fell into step beside me, making me a little less uneasy. I didn't like talking to someone who was keeping her distance from me like I was some kind of experiment.

"I guess the correct answer is Germany. I was born there. But I've lived in Japan for most of my life."

"Your accent is cute," she said with a smirk, looking at me. My face flushed.

"Oh, thanks." I smiled a little. "Most people say that it's odd. Some people used to immediately tell me to shut up..." I mumbled.

"That's rude."

"Tell me about it."

"I said it was quirky," Tony commented ahead of us. Natasha and I exchanged a look. After a moment of realizing he was being ignored, he turned to look over his shoulder at us.

"Turn around, Stark," Natasha said with a grin, and he obeyed. She shot me a smile. "Have you ever been to America?"

"I came to New York a few years ago with my father for a convention. I don't really remember the trip, though. Apparently I have a nasty case of long term amnesia."

"Yikes. That doesn't sound fun."

"Yeah, sometimes it's a little annoying."

"Hey, there's some things I wish I didn't remember," Tony said.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you'd want the memories back as soon as you couldn't remember them. It drives me crazy sometimes, knowing there's something there that I can't get to."  
I said bitterly. That shut him up. We walked in silence until we ran into a group of agents a few turns later, standing around and chatting. Some of them looked young, new, while others were aged. One woman in particular stood out to me immediately, a brunette with dark eyes that met mine the minute we caught their attention.

"Shoot, and here I was hoping we wouldn't run into any of you," Tony said, halfheartedly.

"Are those my chips? Did you take my chips?" one of the younger male agents asked, but Tony waved him off.

"They're mine now."

"Bu-"

"Annabelle," the brunette woman spoke up, stepping towards our little group of three. I blinked, caught off guard, and pointed at myself like an idiot. She surveyed me, looking almost concerned.

"I apologize," I said slowly, "but do I know you?" She hesitated a moment.

"...I need to make a phone call, excuse me," she said, quickly turning. I looked at Natasha, confused, but she shook her head.

"Sorry to bother you, ladies and gents," She said, pulling Tony and I back. "You keep having your little circle chat. We'll be going." She lead us back the way we came, not speaking until we were far enough out of ear shot. "Sorry about her."

"Who is she?" I asked, "And how does she know my name?"

"Her name is Kathrine Zindel. She's one of our gifted agents."

"And she always has a stick up her ass," Tony added. Natasha shot him a look.

"Kathrine," I repeated. "I do know her."

"You do?" She asked. I nodded, my mind wandering.

"I don't remember how I know her, though. But...I know that name. And I feel like I recognized her face. Her eyes."

"Creepy," Tony mumbled, and Natasha harshly elbowed him.

"That's more possible than you think. And I suddenly have a lot of questions," she said. I didn't bother asking what she meant. I knew she wasn't going to explain, otherwise she would have elaborated in the first place. I was slowly getting used to being kept in the dark. "I'll catch up with you guys on the jet. Just don't get into any trouble, okay?"

"No promises," Tony said. She waved him off and disappeared down the next hallway, leaving Tony and I alone. I watched as he threw the now empty chip bag away and brushed off his fingers, surveying the area. "You cold, Green?" he asked me, turning to face me after looking around. I shrugged my shoulders and rubbed my legs together a little. Though it wasn't cold in this building, the memory of the freezing snow filled air from outside was still very present in my mind.

"I guess," I answered.

"I bet we could get you something here. One of those fancy SHIELD outfits. Maybe something tight and with a zipper..." He mumbled the rest to himself, examining his surroundings again. "I'll be right back. Stay here. Don't move."

"I-" He left me behind, going down a different hall than Natasha. I slowly fell back against the wall, feeling anxious that I was suddenly alone in a place of people that would probably love to question me and test on me to see what made me tick. Then again, since I no longer had the abilities, I probably didn't matter at all to them. I touched my fingertips together rhythmically, praying someone I knew came back for me before too long. What if they forgot about me and all flew off in the jet? I'd hoped I'd made enough of an impact on them that they wouldn't just leave me, but I never could be sure. Maybe their plan was to leave me here all along.

"Annabelle," a familiar voice called from down the hall, catching my attention. I looked up to see the woman before, the one they had called Kathrine, heading towards me. I perked up and leaned away from the wall, dropping my hands to my sides.

"Yes?" I asked, slowly. She approached me and looked me over, then held out a small triangular object that looked to be made out of some shiny metal.

"Take it. And open it when you feel ready," she said. I furrowed my brow, taking the pyramid out of her hand and placing it in the palm of my own. It fit comfortably there, the metal warm from where she had been holding it.

"What is it..?" I asked, "And what do you mean 'when I feel ready'?"

"You'll know. Just don't do it now. Or on the jet. Wait until you're in a secure location. Okay?" I stared at her for a moment and then nodded my head.

"Okay," I said quietly.

"Good. I hope to see you soon." She patted the side of my arm and walked away, her hair swishing behind her like little waves. All I could do was stare until she disappeared, the metal still warm against my hand.

"...what in the hell?" I murmured quietly in German, thoroughly confused. I held up the metal pyramid and brought it close to my face to examine it. What was I supposed to do with this? Apparently it opened; was there something inside that would be significant to me?

"There you are," Bruce snapped me out of my thoughts, my body twitching a little in surprise. I quickly stuffed the metal object into my pants pocket, where it awkwardly stuck out in a little point underneath the fabric.

"Here I am, yes," I said. He raised an eyebrow but didn't question me, stopping a few feet before me.

"Natasha says she has some sweats and a hoodie for you to keep you warm, if you want them."

"Oh, yeah, that would be great." I smiled a little, following him as he lead me down the hall.

"Things are kind of overwhelming here, I know," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "And this is only an eighth of the size of some of the other SHIELD bases."

"That's terrifying," I mumbled.

"It is, isn't it? They try to do good, though. SHIELD. They're not bad people." I nodded a little.

"Natasha is with SHIELD, isn't she? And Clint?"

"That's right."

"They seem nice."  
"They are. Once you get to know them." He smiled at me and gestured towards a side room. "Uh, this is where Natasha left your stuff. I think it's also a bathroom, so, you can...do whatever you need to do. It's going to be kind of a long ride to where we're going, so, I suggest you...you know.."

"Yeah, yeah," I said quickly, "thank you."

"We'll be leaving soon, I think, so just head out to that main room if you can find it. If not, someone will find you, I'm sure."

"Okay." I stepped backwards into the bathroom.

"See you later, then." He waved a little and scuttled off, his shoulders hunched. From his actions, I guessed he really didn't like being here. Then again, Bruce seemed a little skittish all the time. I suppose if I had a scary green monster living inside of me, I'd be cautious too.

I shut the door.


	16. Chapter 16

It wasn't long after I got changed – into those snug sweat pants and a shirt that was a size too big – that everyone gathered together in the first room to depart. Luckily I'd been able to find my way back in time before anyone had to come get me, which I took as a small personal accomplishment. I joined the others quietly, hands stuffed deep in the pockets of my new pants, that tiny pyramid object poking out near the bottom. I'd been sure to transfer it when I'd changed out of my old clothes, feeling that it must have been something important. Though I didn't remember knowing the woman who'd given it to me, I felt like I trusted her.

"Warm now, Green?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I nodded my head and smiled a bit.

"Glad those fit. The pants, at least," Natasha said, joining us.

"It's better than wearing some top that's way too tight for me." I smiled at her. "Thanks."  
"It wasn't what I was envisioning, but I guess it'll do," Tony mumbled. Natasha shot him an amused look.

"Not all the girls you hang around can be bimbos. Sorry, Stark." This only caused him to mumble more.

"I think you look nice, Annabelle," Bruce said, playing around with the untucked edge of his blouse.

"Thanks, Bruce."

"Any time."  
"Okay Avengers. Time to head out." Steve walked past us in full uniform, a dark suit that I hadn't remembered seeing in the news. Clint walked behind him, sunglasses perched on his nose.

"You heard the boss. Chop chop ladies."

"I am not a lady," Tony commented, following. The others went after him, leaving me sheepishly lurking behind the group. I was struck again by the cold air that hit us as we left the building, though the snow had stopped falling for the time being. My breath pooled out in a fog in front of my face.

"Watch your step," Steve said, offering his hand as I neared the new jet. It looked nearly exactly the same as the old one, to my disappointment, but I wasn't going to complain.

"Thank you." I took his hand and he lifted me up into the back of the jet.

"Clint, what's the deal with the platform back here? Why isn't it all the way down?" Steve called, his voice echoing across the metal.

"Don't know. Won't go down any more. I'm sure it's not a problem." Clint yelled from the front.

"Great, faulty plane. My favorite," Bruce muttered inside. I took my seat next to him, disregarding the uneasy look he gave me as I did.

"Is Thor coming?" Clint asked, swiveling his pilot chair around a bit to face us.

"He took off," Steve said, lifting himself into into the back. "Said he had to do some research back home to try to figure out our little alien problem."

"'Little' alien problem..." I said under my breath sarcastically.

"Darn. He's always fun to have around." Clint turned back to the front. "Everyone in?"

"Looks like it," Steve answered.

"Great. Let's get going, then." He flipped a switch and the back platform pulled up, latching to the top of the plane. Steve made his way over and sat on the steel bench right across from me, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Feeling warmer?" he asked..

"Yes, thank you." He nodded. After a few moments, and with a lurch, the jet took off into the sky again.

It only took about an hour of flight time before I realized something was wrong. From my seat – which was closest to the back end of the plane – I could hear a constant high pitched whistle coming from where the platform had sealed, as if air was leaking through it as we sped above the clouds.

"Is that supposed to be making that sound?" I asked, looking around the room for answers.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Clint yelled from the front. "You ever been in a plane before? They make some weird sounds, trust me."

"Well I.." I sighed and tucked my hair behind my ear to keep the thick waves out of my face. Having so much hair really was a bother.

"Don't worry, Annabelle. Planes make me uneasy too," Bruce said quietly. "Mainly because the big guy could come out and destroy this and everyone on it in minutes."

"That must be rough. I'm sorry you have to deal with that." I leaned over a bit and lightly touched my hand to his arm in a comforting gesture, but he shied away from it. I quickly pulled my hand into my lap, tightly holding the other.

"...so, why are you afraid?" he asked again after a moment. I inhaled through my nose and lightly shrugged my shoulders.

"I lost my mom to a plane accident years ago. At least, that's what my father told me. He said there were complications and the plane went down with my mother on it. That's...kind of when things in my life started to go really downhill. I just can't help but think of that while I'm here. On this jet. Flying through the air. It just makes me uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He gave my a sympathetic look. "You must miss her."  
"Yeah, I do," I said, keeping my eyes forward, where they rested on a bolt in the metal interior of the jet. I didn't like talking about my mother. Every time I thought about her death it made me want to throw up, and I didn't want to do that on this plane. Or anywhere around these people, really. I didn't want to be vulnerable little Annabelle. Not anymore.

The door whistled loudly, my headache already starting up again.

"Hey, see if there's a hole that you can cover up," Clint called. I took a deep breath and stood up, walking over to the platform. I searched around the edges to find where the leak was, biting down on the edge of my lip in concentration.

"I don't see any," I said, crouching down near the right edge. "Maybe it's just-" I was cut off as the platform swung open, the sudden rush of air suffocating me. I hit the ground hard and slid across the metal, letting out a shriek as I was suddenly thrown towards the outside. I tried to grab an edge, anything, but I couldn't find one. As I neared the end of the platform I felt a jolt, someone grabbing me from behind with one secure arm and tugging me back. My hair blew over my eyes from all the movement, rendering me blind as my savior pulled me back away from the roaring rush of wind. My heart throbbed in my chest, though that throbbing still couldn't be considered 'beating'. I held tight to the arm wrapped around me, trying to catch my breath.

"You are not having a good day," my holder said, which I now recognized as Steve by his voice.

"No, I'm really not," I replied through my mess of hair, my chest aching.

"So...I guess that's my bad?" Clint yelled from the front.

"Pretty much," I heard Tony say. I finally released my tight grip on Steve's arm, brushing my hair back as best I could. It was a horrible tangled mess. I leaned back my head a little to see Steve's face, still somewhat catching my breath.

"..thanks for saving my ass. Again."

"Not a problem." He waited a few long seconds before releasing me, turning to head back to his seat.

"Always have to save the girl, don't you, Cap?" Tony nudged his arm.

"Well someone has to. Were you just going to let her fall?"

"Sure, for a while. Just for fun. But then I'd go get her."

"Real mature, Stark."

"I'm sure she'd have a good time."

"Thinking she's falling to her death? I don't think so."

"Well, _I _would have a good time."

"Always thinking about yourself."

"Yeah, I tend to."

"Uh, fellas," Natasha cut in. She pointed back to the now open end of the plane, everyone, including me, turning their heads. I froze. Standing at the edge of the platform was one of the aliens, its long, skinny tongue snaked out to the side, the odd glyphs and symbols on its white skin pulsing with a faint blue glow. Looking at it now it reminded me of some sort of dog, that tongue flailing around, though the lack of eyes made it clear there was little resemblance to anything on Earth, not to mention it was really unsettling. It dug its claws into the metal with a sickly screech, the glyphs suddenly flaring with bright light. The plane lurched. I quickly grabbed the nearest edge I could find as the jet sputtered and rolled side to side, my stomach dropping.

"We're losing power!" Clint yelled. I stared at the creature as it stood there, claws imbedded in the platform still, realizing exactly which creature this was. This was the one that stole my abilities.

"Everyone grab a parachute!" Steve shouted, and someone threw a large bag at me that almost toppled me over. I held it tightly, watching as Steve sprinted at the alien with his shield and tried to pry it from the metal. It hissed and released its grip, only to latch itself onto the edges of Steve's shield. He spun and forcefully smashed it against the side of the wall, but to no avail. It stuck like glue, those glyphs pulsing up with light again. I panicked, knowing full well that with my abilities this creature could kill Steve pretty quickly without even touching him, and he was in the perfect position. Not knowing what to do, I hurled my parachute bag at it, catching it off guard. It sprung back from the shield and flicked its head towards me, who was now completely defenseless. Steve went at it with his shield again but it leaped out of the way and took of towards me, teeth bared. I backed away, though it wasn't going to make much of a difference, and held my hands out in means of protection. I could hear Steve yell something, loud, and suddenly there was a great flash of lightning engulfing the room. I heard a scream, though I couldn't decipher if it was human or not, or even my own. I lowered my hands to see that the creature had stopped coming towards me, laying limply at the feet of Thor, who held his hammer before him.

"Return what you have stolen, beast," he said, bringing his hammer down hard on the creature's head. It cracked as the hammer collided with it, one last scream exiting its mouth before it fell completely still. It only took a moment for the glyphs to lose their glowing color, and suddenly I felt overwhelmed with power. My chest constricted and my vision blurred, my body swaying to the side as the energy flowed back through me, crippling power that made my eyes burn. I let out a gasp of air and fell against the side of the wall, trying to regain my balance and calm myself down.

"We're still going down, guys!" Clint called.

"Stark, get Annabelle. We have to go," Steve said, strapping himself up to a parachute.

"Good thing you put those sweatpants on, sweetheart. It's going to be a cold ride." Tony swooped over and picked me up, now fully suited, the metal chilled already. "Hold on tight." I did so as best I could, wrapping my arms tightly around the neck of the suit while still trying to clear my head and relax enough to make my body stop trembling. He shot out the back platform, the cold air hitting my face like a brick wall, my breath forced out of me. I saw the others jumping from the plane and falling, Clint getting out just before it sputtered and took a sharp turn downwards. In a minute it had disappeared completely through the clouds.


	17. Chapter 17

"Green, stop."  
"I can't help it."  
"No, seriously, stop it."  
"I can't..!  
"Annabelle!" Tony's thrusters sputtered and dropped us another few feet before coming back on. I clung to the suit, my eyes squeezed shut.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled. I involuntarily shot another surge of energy through the suit and we lost more altitude, twirling helplessly through the sky for a few seconds before jolting back upward.

"I _will _drop you," he said.

"Maybe that would be best!"

"Or, you know, you could just _stop._"

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you I'm not doing it on purpose!" Another surge, another several feet closer to the ground, which was still a few hundred feet below us. The snow and cold air made it hard to see nearly anything around us. I hoped the others had made it to the ground safely.

"That's it. You're done."

"Wha-" Tony shoved me away from him, sending me spiraling through the freezing cold. I let out a weak scream, though the air was so chilled and rushing so fast through my lungs that I could barely get anything out. Warm fingers wrapped around my wrist and I was suddenly pulled upwards, gliding now instead of falling. I looked up to see Natasha, her red hair blowing wildly like fire against the white blizzard. She blinked a few snow crystals out of her eyes.

"Need a lift?" she asked. I squirmed, grabbing her arm and forcing her fingers off of me.

"I don't want to electrocute you!" I yelled, sucking in a deep breath and pushing myself away from her. I could barely hear her yell something after me, the cold air once again numbing my senses. Falling backwards made me realize for a second that the storm above me was actually really beautiful, the way the snow swirled together and spun around like it were doing a little dance. It was almost...relaxing. And –

I hit the ground. Luckily the packed snow managed to somewhat buffet my fall, but that didn't stop the wind from being completely knocked out of me. I fell through a few layers of snow, the top layers folding and falling over my face. Sputtering, I spit a significant amount of icy crystals out of my mouth, taking a moment to myself before I could manage to breathe again. I flinched as my body released yet another surge of energy, the snow around me lighting up in a cool blue light.

"Annabelle!" I felt Natasha running towards me, Clint behind her. He got to me first, pulling me up and out of the snow by the arm. He snorted.

"You look like a yeti."

"Clint," Natasha scolded, though she looked somewhat amused. "Are you alright? That fall could have easily killed you."  
"I'm fine," I said slowly, wiping some snow off my face. I put a hand to my hair and found it packed with thick snow. Now I realized how Clint came up with the 'yeti' description.

"That's crazy. You're crazy. I saw you falling and was sure you were a gonner," Clint said.

"Well, I'm here. In one piece." I stretched my back, hearing a few pops.

"You're really something," Natasha said with a small smile. I flushed, shrugging my shoulders.

"Everyone okay?" Steve joined the group, panting, his breath fogging up all around his face.

"Annabelle took a fall, but she's fine," Clint explained, gesturing to me to make his point.

"Yeah, but she's really cold. Could get hypothermia. Better warm her up quick." Natasha shot me a grin and a smirk, my cheeks heating up even more.

"Come here." Steve grabbed me and started rubbing my arms and back, trying to warm me up. My face was so hot it should have been steaming in this cold.

"Banner's loose." Tony flew down, hovering above them. "Nat, get on that."

"Roger," she said, sprinting away until the snow made it impossible to see her.

"Rogers, you can cop a feel later. Base is this way," Tony said, pointing.

"Mature," Steve mumbled, suddenly swooping me up over his shoulder. I squeaked.

"On we go," Clint said from behind Steve, watching me with an amused look in his eyes. I hid my face.

We walked for what I guessed to be about a half an hour before we got to a single small pillar sticking out of the ground, an entire side of it covered in snow. Steve had set me down a few minutes earlier, and I trudged forward through the snow to get a closer look at it.

"Woah," I said quietly, staring. With my powers back it was easy for me to see that there was an entire building underneath the snow, all connected to the pillar and buzzing with electric energy.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Tony asked, landing beside me and kicking up a flood of water as the snow melted under his thrusters.

"It's amazing."

"It's a pillar," Steve said, holding the front of his belt, eyebrow raised. Tony made a strange and obnoxious sound in response.

"How much of it can you see, Green?" He nudged me, the armor freezing cold.

"Just the electricity," I said, "But that's enough. It's pretty big, isn't it?"  
"Of course. I like to hide out in style." He stepped forward and placed his armored hand against the flat top of the pillar. "Any new from Natasha yet on the Bruce situation?"

"Not yet." Clint stepped forward. "I'm sure she's got it under control."

"I'll go check on her as soon as I get you guys inside." Tony moved to the side, the ground shaking for a moment as the pillar sunk down into the snow. A stone platform rose from under our feet, causing me to lose my balance momentarily and wobble around like an idiot.

"Going down," Tony said, pushing me over so that I regained my footing. The platform shook and descended, packed snow falling around us as it moved. We were pretty far down – the white sky above was almost hard to see – when it came to a halt, a large corridor made of metal facing us. Snow curled around our feet, starting to evaporate from the rush of warm air that was coming from the hall. I felt an energy spike and looked up at what little I could see of the sky, squinting my eyes.

"Thor is coming," I said.

"What? If he thinks he's-" Tony was cut off as Thor crashed down beside him, hammer in hand, his hair covered in snow.

"Did you just jump from all the way up there?" Clint asked, looking skeptic but also mildly impressed.

"Yes," Thor said plainly, like it was no surprise.

"I'm surrounded by lunatics who can take deadly falls like it's no problem. How did I get myself here? Why did I do it? I need to retire." Clint mumbled on, stepping off the platform and heading down the hall. The others followed, and me behind them.

"Are Bruce and Natasha going to be alright?" I asked as I caught up with Tony. His suit was retracting, little mechanical hands snaking out of the walls to grab the pieces as he unequipped them.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be fine. Natasha knows what she's doing. She'll calm him down and get him back here before he freezes. Hopefully."

"Maybe you should go check now." I looked at him with concern, worried for the two of them. After all, without the Hulk, Bruce was only human. And from what I could tell, Natasha was pretty human as well. The temperatures out there would get to them much quicker than someone like Steve, or Tony in his suit.

"Give me a minute, I'll go," he said, pushing a panel on the side wall. The wall slid down and he herded us into the hall beyond it, letting the door shut behind him. It was getting warmer and warmer the deeper we got into the building, water dripping down my scalp as my hair defrosted.

"Just walk a little farther and you'll hit the main room. There's clothes and showers here if anyone needs that taken care of. I'll go check on the other two so Annabelle will stop whining." Tony took a step back.

"I'm not-" Before I could finish he was gone, already sealing the wall behind us shut. I sighed.

"Let's get you inside," Steve said, putting a hand to my back to push me forward. I nodded my head once and followed as they walked on.

"Banner will not like being so far underground," Thor mused, looking up at the high ceiling.

"He'll be fine." I stuffed my hands deep in my pockets, trying not to think of what it would be like to have the Hulk make an appearance while we were all trapped underground. My hand touched against the object in my pocket, which I had almost forgotten about. I'd inspect it once we were settled in.

"It's nice that you trust him so much after only knowing him for such little time," Steve said, looking over at me. "Usually people aren't like that. I feel bad for him."

"I guess I understand him. How terrifying it is to not have control of yourself. It isn't his fault." I rubbed my thumb along the metal edge, tracing it until the tip of the pyramid poked my finger. No one said anything, which I found unsettling and immediately cleared my throat.

"Here we are. Look at this..." Clint said quietly. I lost my focus on the object and looked around at my new surroundings. The room we ended up in was filled with warm colors, a great contrast to the cold world above us, paintings lining the walls and a large TV hanging above a marble fireplace. There were couches cuddled in front of it, and a medium sized kitchen off to the side. Right now I wanted nothing more than to collapse onto one of those couches, but I knew I had to dry off before I did anything. Hopefully Tony and the others would make it back soon so that I could be shown to wherever an available room was for me to change. Not that I had clothes to change into. I'm sure Tony had something for everyone, though.

"Not bad," Thor said from behind me. It was odd; now that I had my abilities back I felt so much more comfortable and at ease, and I was able to tell who everyone was even if I had my eyes closed. It was like I had a sixth sense, one that could only be described as feeling color inside of other living things. Or, rather, anything that had energy flowing through it. Now I knew why I'd been so disoriented on the plane. The way I saw people was not the way others saw each other. I had something extra going on that I couldn't even put into words.

"Don't stare off into space too long. We might lose you," Clint joked, slapping me lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, smiling a little at him. "Just taking in the surroundings."  
"I don't blame you. It is preeeetty nice here." He wandered off a bit, starting to explore on his own. Thor set his hammer on an end table and headed for the kitchen. Steve and I stood at the entrance, waiting. I was glad we had an understanding. I wasn't going to move until everyone got back. And, by the looks of it, he wasn't going to either. We'd stay here until all were safe.


	18. Chapter 18

"Are you prepared, Annabelle Green?" Thor asked, setting his hands firmly on each side of my hip bone. I clenched my teeth and nodded my head once.

"I'm ready."

"Do you guys really think this is a good idea?" Clint asked, standing back from us with his brow furrowed.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I said, trying to push the unease out of my voice.

"Cap?"

"This _should _work. If we do it right," he answered, stepping up behind me.

"Get a firm grip on her chest," Thor ordered. My face flushed as Steve took a moment to figure out where to put his hands, Clint snorting. He hesitantly placed them just below my shoulders, a safe distance away from my breasts. Thank God.

"Now," Thor started, "When I say pull, we both pull in opposite directions. Don't use all your strength; Just enough to set her spine straight."

"Or, you know, you're both just going to rip her in half. That's where I see this going," Clint commented. I shushed him.

This whole crazy idea was proposed a few minutes ago, when I decided to sit down at one of the bar stools and found out, to my dismay, that I was indeed _not _completely intact from my fall earlier. My spine had a very noticeable kink, maybe a crack, and seeing as Bruce and the others still weren't back, the boys decided to come up with a new plan to ease my pain. That being said, I didn't expect much to come out of it. Clint was saying what we were all thinking. But Steve seemed alright with going along with it, so he must have thought there was little chance I would get hurt. I guess. _How do I get myself in these situations..._

"Three, two, one...pull." Thor immediately pulled back, my spine jolting with pain for a moment before Steve pulled on his end. I felt like I was a piece of taffy, being pulled in two different directions by two inhumanly strong individuals. I heard some sickeningly loud cracks as my spine, miraculously, began to mend itself with the help of the correctional pull.

"I think it worked," I said, my voice coming out weaker than I anticipated.

"Excellent! Success!" Thor yelled, dropping my hips quick. Steve, clearly, was not expecting this. Because he was still pulling, Steve and I went down as soon as Thor released me, crashing onto the ground behind us. I winced as my back let out a few more pops, though I was grateful I had Steve as a cushion. Not that he was that soft; Steve was pretty damn solid.

He groaned.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so," I mumbled. Thor extended his hand to pull me off of the ground, but before our skin even touched Tony was standing over us, still half in his suit, a big grin spread across his face. His eyes were wide.

"What do we have here, Cap and Green? This looks like it could be a very _special _situation you're in. Decided to take a nap while I was away? Cuddle? I ship it."

"I regret teaching you what 'shipping' means.." Natasha mumbled from behind him, Bruce huddling behind her and looking rather beat up. Honestly, I didn't know what 'shipping' was. I'd never heard the term used that way. But as Tony's other words sunk in I could feel my cheeks boil with embarrassment, and I slapped Thor's hand away, pulling myself up and distancing myself somewhat from Steve. Looking back at him, he looked thoroughly confused.

"...ship? What does a ship have to do with anything..?" he mumbled quietly. Tony opened his mouth to explain, that stupid grin still hanging on his face, but my embarrassment got the best of me and another giant wave of electricity forced itself out of my body. Those standing nearest to me were blown back by the force, Thor hitting the wall while the other three men slid across the ground in different directions. Luckily it seemed Natasha and Bruce were far enough away not to be hit, but both looked equally as surprised as they stared me down, my face still hot.

I swallowed, immediately pulling my arms up around me in defense.

"Oh, gosh. I...I am so sorry," I said, my words stuttering a they rolled off my tongue. Clint groaned from across the room in response. "If you'll point me to the nearest room, I'll just go lock myself in there for a while. Or maybe you have some kind of prison cell that'll keep me subdued? That would definitely be best," I spit out quickly, mortified at this point. Tony pulled himself off the ground, adjusting his clothing.

"Unfortunately we only have enough rooms for all of us. You'll have to share with someone. I have some suggestions, if you-"

"She'll stay with me," Natasha cut in.

"And where are you going to put me?" another female voice called from the kitchen, startling all of us. With all of the shenanigans going on I hadn't even sensed she was in the area, let alone sensed that she was nearly in the same room. I turned my head to better see the woman, curious.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Tony asked, though he didn't look defensive. Instead, he had already relaxed, slipping his hands in his pockets. The woman stepped to the side, holding a bag of chips in one hand. She looked taller than me, not by much, with a decent build in her arms from what I could see. She wore what looked like a different version of a SHIELD suit, her brunette hair tied in a big messy bun on the back of her head.

"What, you didn't notice me? Shit, Stark, you need higher security," she teased, tossing her chip bag on the counter, where it almost slid off the edge. "I'm here on Kathrine's orders. Besides, Fury seemed to agree that you could use a bit of help, considering our current alien threat is looking for gifteds. And oh, look, a whole house full of them!" She spun around.

"Kathrine?" I asked, almost half paying attention. I crossed the room towards her, fishing in my pocket to pull the little pyramid out as I did so. I held it out for her. "Do you know what this is? What it does? Kathrine gave it to me." When she didn't take it I pushed it closer, desperate. She shook her head and stepped back, staring me down with what I could now see where light gray eyes.

"Sorry, kid, if Kathrine didn't tell you exactly what to do with it, then she had a reason."

"But she said I'd be able to use it. Like I would know how to. But, see, I have this amnesia, and if I'm supposed to know how to use it, I don't remember. So maybe you could just help me out...and..." I trailed off as Steve marched over and grabbed the pyramid, giving it a quick glance before dropping it on the ground. It shattered into little metal shards the instant it hit the tile. Must have been more fragile than it looked.

"Oops." Steve said, though he didn't look guilty. I gaped at the pieces on the floor, confused and a little upset. The woman made an irritated noise, then shook her head.

"You're a piece of work, Rogers."

"Why did you do that?" I asked quietly, though no one seemed to hear me. Steve got a broom and dustpan and sweeped the shards up, throwing them away in the trash bin under the counter.

"Always think you know what's best for people," the woman mumbled, then turned back to me and extended her hand. "Guess I should have mentioned this before, but, I'm Naomi Taylor. I work for SHIELD."  
"I gathered," I said, lightly shaking her hand, still a little dazed at Steve's actions. Meanwhile he'd gone back to where he'd been standing, like nothing had happened, like he hadn't just destroyed something that might have meant something to me.

"So who's going to be my roomie?" Naomi yelled, making me jump. She surveyed the room, hands on her hips, then pointed at Tony. "I choose you, Stark."

"Is this just an excuse to get into bed with me? Because that wasn't very smooth," Tony said with a grin.

"Ew, no thanks."

"What about Cap? He could use a roommate," he suggested, elbowing Steve.

"Gosh gollie, we couldn't sleep in the same room! We aren't even married!" Naomi batted her eyelashes and put a southern twang on her words, putting a hand over her mouth, pretending to be shocked at the idea. I heard Steve grumble.

"Is marriage a requirement for sharing a room?" Thor asked, looking perplexed. No one answered him.

"You know what? Yes. She can stay with me," Steve spoke up. "It might be better to try to put someone without abilities in the same area as someone without. Just in case the enemy gets in."

"It wont," Tony commented, but Steve shook his head.

"We don't want to take the risk. Clint, maybe you should stay with Thor. Naomi is with me. Natasha is with Annabelle. Tony, you're fine on your own."

"What about Bruce?" Natasha asked, looking back at him. He was huddled against the wall, still looking like a mess.

"If those things took The Hulk away it would be a blessing, not a problem," he said. "I'm fine."

"So it's settled," Steve concluded.

"Better watch out, Cap. That she-devil might come onto you while you're sleeping," Tony whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Naomi threw an orange at him. Where she got it, I have no idea.

"Come on, Annabelle, I'll show you where we'll be sleeping." Natasha gently took my arm, leading me out of the area and down one of the halls that the main room connected to.

"When you're done with that, we need to have a meeting..!" Naomi yelled after us. "_Avengers_ meeting," she added. I knew what that meant: Everyone but me.

"I feel like everything is happening so fast," I said quietly, out loud.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Natasha squeezed my arm. "Don't worry about it. You'll get used to this brand of crazy eventually."

"Eventually? You make it seem like I'm staying after this is over."  
"Are you not?" She looked over at me. I swallowed, a lump suddenly forming in my throat.

"I don't know why I would."

"Well, we'd love to keep you," she said with a smile. "We'll get you all figured out, and maybe you could fight alongside us. How does that sound?"  
"Optimistic."

"You have to be optimistic in this profession. You'll learn." She pulled me up to a door and opened it, showing me inside. It was a nice sized room, decorated a certain way that it was obviously made for her. The bed was large and there was a decent sized sofa pushed against one of the walls, one that looked plenty large enough for me to sleep on. There was a door to my left that I assumed lead to the bathroom, which I'm sure was just as nice as the rest of the place.

"You can get settled here. I'm going to go listen in on that meeting thing. I'm sure it's nothing important."

"It's okay, Natasha, I know I'm not allowed to go. Go ahead. I'll be here." I sat myself down on the couch, brushing the sweat pants down.

"...okay. I'm sure it'll be quick." She left the room, closing the door behind her. I waited a few moments, enjoying the plush couch – and realizing how long it seemed since I was sitting on Tony's couch this morning – before standing up and heading into the bathroom. If everyone was busy, this was the best time to take a shower. I'd wash the craziness of this day off of me and hopefully be able to relax for a while.


	19. Chapter 19

After my shower I sat alone in Natasha's room for nearly an hour before she came and got me. She apologized and said they didn't know it would take so long, that it was nothing about me, and that it was time to eat. Jarvis had prepared a meal for everyone. I wasn't hungry.

I sat at the end of the table as everyone ate, staring down through the glass at my legs. Jarvis had cleaned my outfit while I was in the shower, and the almost sickeningly sweet smell of laundry detergent wafted all around me and made the food look even less appetizing. It was pasta, drenched in a salty smelling sauce that, under normal circumstances, I would have found delicious. Right now I had far too much on my mind to even think about eating, even though everyone else was shoveling the food in their mouths like they hadn't eaten for weeks.

"Their soft spot is the center of the forehead," Thor said, through bites of food. Apparently he'd been explaining something while I'd zoned out. I turned my head to get a better look at him, blinking a few times to try to clear my mind.

"So if we hit them there, we'll be able to defeat them?" Steve asked. Thor shook his head.

"It is not that simple. If they make contact with your skin, chances are they will take what you have before you can take them down. If you could manage to hit them just right with your shield before they touched you that would disable them. But they are quick. You must be careful."

"Which is why I have an advantage. And also why I'm here," Naomi added, seemingly taking things seriously for the first time this evening. "Since I deal in pressure points, and since I'm not gifted, or enhanced, or whatever you people are calling it now, I'll be able to get to them and kill them pretty fast. But I won't be able to get all of them if we get a swarm. You guys need to learn to protect yourselves."  
"What if I made new armor for everyone? Something protective and light that just covers the skin. That would work, wouldn't it?" Tony asked.

"It might. As I said, much is not known of these creatures, even on Asgard. We call them thjōfrdýr there, but they have no real name. They cannot communicate with other races, so we are not sure what their purpose is, or what they plan to do."  
"Great," Bruce mumbled.

"I can get started on the armor. At least it's something." Tony stood, setting his silverware down. "Jarvis."  
"Yes, sir."

"Open up the downstairs room. Get things warmed up for me."

"Of course, sir." Tony stood and threw his napkin on his plate before leaving the room, an awkward silence following.

Bruce cleared his throat. "Uh, Annabelle, are you...are you going to eat that?" He motioned to my plate, which was still untouched. I slowly shook my head.

"No...Did you want it?" I pushed the plate towards him a little.

"Oh, no. Not me. But Steve has been eyeing it for the past ten minutes." I turned my eyes to Steve, who was looking down at his empty plate, twirling his fork around. Sure enough, he glanced over at my plate for a spit second, quickly pulling his eyes back when he realized I was staring at him.

"You know," I started, still bitter, "I'll eat it later. Maybe we can wrap it up and put it in the fridge." I stood and picked my plate up. I heard Bruce start to say something from behind me, but I was already in the kitchen before he could finish. When I looked up I met Steve's eyes for a moment before he looked down again. "You could probably ask Jarvis for more, you know," I called across the counter, catching everyone's attention. I flushed for a moment and swallowed, finishing wrapping the corners of my dish. "I just mean you shouldn't pout because you aren't getting my food." Bruce looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown.

"I don't pout," Steve said, looking for a moment at me and then looking at Bruce. "I didn't even say I wanted the food." Bruce swallowed uncomfortably and sunk down in his seat a little.

"Woah, woah," Natasha said, standing out of her chair. "Look, fellas, I know we're all on edge. But we can't be destructive like this. Relax. We're safe here, and we're going to figure things out." She looked over at me, a twinkle in her eyes. "Right?" I held my hands up a little in defense and quickly stuffed my plate into the fridge, retiring back to 'my' room as quickly as possible. I didn't have to look in the mirror to know my face was burning red. I didn't know why I was being so hostile suddenly. Sure, Steve had broken that thing Kathrine had given me, but considering I didn't even know what it was, was it even that big of a deal? Maybe the fact that I didn't know what it did was actually the problem. Some part of me had hoped inside that thing was something to help me remember who I was, or anything about the things I couldn't make myself remember. The amnesia was so frustrating that even the thought of getting it fixed made my heart ache and race. Maybe that's why that stupid thing had been so important to me. Either way, I shouldn't have gotten upset with Steve about it. Maybe he knew something I didn't, and was actually protecting me from something hostile. I didn't even talk to him about it before I jumped to conclusions.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, which was already tangled after my shower earlier. I tried to pull my fingers through it as I flopped myself down on the couch. I tucked my legs under each other and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to clear my mind. Soon, I'd go apologize to Steve. I needed to calm down first.

I sat still for a long amount of time, finally opening my eyes once I felt I was completely collected. I stood myself up and headed for the bathroom to brush my hair, making sure I looked acceptable before exiting the room and skimming the doors in the few halls to find Steve's. Because Natasha's door was marked with a Widow, I assumed Steve's would be marked with a shield, or something else that I could easily identify from his character. Sure enough, I found a door engraved with a little star nestled between a few layers of circles. I went to knock when I realized the door was already cracked open. Slowly, I pushed my hand against the door and peered in, feeling pretty quickly that Steve and Naomi were already inside. What I saw through the crack of the door, however, I did not expect. I froze as I looked into the room. Naomi was indeed inside, Steve's arms wrapped around her from behind in what looked to be a very intimate pose. I felt my cheeks flush and quickly tore my eyes away, backing a few feet from the door before taking off in a sprint back to Natasha's room. My cheeks burned again from embarrassment, my heart thumping around in my chest uncontrollably.

Natasha was back in the room when I returned, her face showing concern when I stormed in and went directly into the bathroom, pulling the door shut. A few moments later I heard her knock, but I barked out, 'I'm fine,' before she could ask any questions. I slumped down the wall and onto the floor, putting my hand over my ears and pulling my knees up to my chest. So, Steve and Naomi were together. A couple. I seethed with anger quite suddenly, squeezing my eyes shut to try to squash the swell of angry electricity that I could feel crawling up my spine. I shouldn't have been angry. I shouldn't have cared. I knew from the beginning there wasn't a chance for me with him, even though the stupid child in my let me believe there was. He was an idol, and only that. No one ended up with their idols. Why should I be any different? Still, I couldn't help that burning anger, which swelled and boiled inside me until the overhead light in the room burst into shards, everything going dark.

"What was that?" I heard Natasha yell from the other side. "Are you alright in there?" I didn't respond, trying to collect myself, trying to push my stupid, stupid feelings behind me so I could stop acting like a child.

"I'm coming in," She said again after a moment, the door suddenly thrown from its hinges and crashing against the counter a few feet ahead of it. She surveyed the area before bending down by me, looking at me with sympathy and concern. "It's okay," she said softly. How could I explain to her what I was upset about? It was ridiculous. Even to me. But for some reason my emotions were vastly out of control, and there was nothing I could do about it. Was this part of the new abilities? Was I going to be stuck with these intense and dangerous emotions forever?  
Natasha took a minute before grabbing me in an awkward hug, as we were both now on the floor, but soon I felt comfort set in and let my shoulders relax. The strong swell of anger gradually died down, and my heart stopped beating rapidly in my chest. I hadn't even remembered to feel relieved that it was beating again – due to my concern that it had stopped pulsing earlier.

"I know you're scared, and you can't remember who you are," Natasha spoke quietly, her mouth close to my ear, "but I promise you, we'll take care of you. We'll figure you out." I could only nod as response, my body seemingly trembling all of the sudden. She gave me a good squeeze but didn't let go, keeping close until I felt okay enough to stand up off the floor. My head buzzed and all I could think about was sleep as I made my way back into the room and collapsed onto the couch. Jarvis brought down a few blankets to cover me, and I was out in no time.

My dreams were filled with whispers, intimidating screams and calls that were too distant to make out. I was standing alone in a room, in the dark, though my body acted as an illuminator so I could somewhat see the corners where the walls came together. There wasn't anything in the room; There was no furniture, no light source, and, most disturbingly, no door. There was just enough light to see a few feet in front of me, but not enough to get rid of the odd shadows that hung just out of the corner of my eye.

"_You can't let this happen. You deserve better than this,"_ a voice murmured against my ear, a cold chill spiking up my spine. I opened my mouth to speak, to question, but nothing came out.

_"Don't forget what he means to you. She is but one small life. A small fire that you can extinguish. Come on. It'll be easy."_

_ "You know who you are. You know you're capable."_

_ "Just turn the light off."_

_ "Don't fight what you feel."_

_ "In the end, he's all that matters. Him, and us."_

_ "One day soon you'll have what you want. We'll help you. We've always been here. Do as we ask."_

"Stop," I said finally, my body shaking violently, my palms sweaty. It seemed like all the whispers were different voices, but at the same time one entity. It felt familiar, warm, yet chilling simultaneously. Where had I heard that voice before?  
_"You can't hide from your destiny. You have your purpose."_

"My purpose? What is my purpose?"

_"In due time. In due TIME."_

I woke up yelling. It took me a moment to come to fully, Natasha crouched beside the couch with her hand firmly clasped around my arm.

"You were crying. I thought you were awake, but…it was just a dream," she said, squeezing my arm. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"I'm sorry," I sputtered out, trying to get the remnants of the whispers out of my head.

"Just a dream. It's okay. Deep breathes."

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"I was awake. Don't apologize. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't even know what to say." I inhaled, feeling dizzy. My head ached.

"Just remember…it was just a dream. Sometimes this stuff gets to you. This life, I mean. You've had a dramatic change in lifestyle. I don't blame you for having nightmares." She stood, looking down at me. The room was dim, the light of the bathroom on and flowing in. All I could make out of her was the red hair. "Can I get you a glass of water?"

"I'm alright. Thank you, Natasha."

"Any time." She walked across the room and shut the bathroom light off, the room suddenly stunningly dark. The light of my eyes flickered on instinctively. Or, maybe they'd been shining this entire time and I hadn't noticed.

"Goodnight," I said quietly.

"'Night. And hey, if you're uncomfortable there, we can switch. Just know that's an option. I won't be a bed hog." I couldn't see her, but I could almost hear the grin in her words.

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Again, any time." I pulled the blanket up to my chin, adjusting myself for a moment before laying still. I was sticky with sweat. I heard Natasha pull her covers back and get settled, waiting until I felt her drift off into sleep before shutting my eyes tight. I didn't sleep. I couldn't.


	20. Chapter 20

The next few days at the safe house were…awkward, to say the least. I stayed as far away from Steve and Naomi as possible, which proved to be extremely difficult since, although this safe house was an impressive size, it was still underground and we all had no choice but to stay down there together. I ran into Steve a fair amount of times, and the first few times he tried to start a conversation with me that ended in me running off to go do something I'd 'forgotten' to do. Naomi ended up not speaking to me much at all, which I took as a relief. I didn't want to suddenly get upset over nothing again and cause some mass power outage. The Avengers were already dealing with a hostile alien enemy they didn't know how to control, they didn't need me messing things up in the process. I kept mostly to myself in Natasha's room. And, I never did go back to eat those leftovers.

Tony stayed hidden in the workshop area of the base and we rarely saw him save for meals, which I hardly attended. If I ate anything at all, I ate it in the room alone. However, I was starting to miss Tony's sarcastic and quirky rich-boy attitude, because I was sure that might cheer me up at least a little. Natasha was mainly my only social go-to, which was okay, because I discovered she was actually a very interesting person. She couldn't tell me much about her life, but what she did was incredibly fascinating, and far different from the mundane life I had carried on back in Japan. We'd exchange stories some nights before she drifted off to sleep and I stayed wide awake, feeling far too full of energy to even shut my eyes.

On this particular morning – or, at least, I was told it was morning by the 'windows' around the base that used pictures or HD videos to represent the time in the outside world – I was itching to stretch my legs and explore a little bit. I hadn't seen Tony's workshop, nor had I seen the glorious 'gaming room' that Clint kept going on about. I'm sure there were plenty of other interesting things for me to find if I just looked around a bit. I hoped I wouldn't run into anyone who would ruin my morning.

I ventured out still in my sweats and shirt that Jarvis washed every day, since I had nothing else here to wear. Natasha was around my height and build, though my chest was just enough bigger in size that I didn't feel comfortable in any of the shirts she had stored. I didn't mind sticking with the makeshift clothes that I had. I found myself in the kitchen after a while, drawn in by a delicious smell. Once there I met Thor, who was pulling a pan of muffins out of the oven, looking very uncharacteristic in two large oven mitts. It was such a strange sight that I had to blink a few times to make sure it was real. It would have looked stranger had he been in his usual outfit, but luckily for my confused brain he was in a simple gray t-shirt and jeans.

"Good morning, Annabelle Green," he said, flashing a smile at me. I tried not to look dumbfounded as I returned with a smile of my own, surveying the scene one more time before looking him in the face.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I realized it was a stupid question with an obvious answer as soon as I said it, but it was too late to take it back. Thor didn't look bothered.

"I am making moofins."

"M-Moofins?" I asked, trying to keep the laughter trapped behind my lips as it crawled up my throat.

"Yes. Jane Foster taught me to make them. She quite likes them. I thought I would share some with my friends." He flashed another gleaming smile.

"H-How kind of you," I said, managing to push back the laughter for now.

"It is but a small thing," he responded, pulling the mitts off and setting them beside the cooling pan. "Do you wish to try one first?"

"Oh, I couldn't." I waved my hands in front of me. "You should let your friends try first."

"But you are my friend, Annabelle Green. Have one." He pulled one out, making a face for a moment when he realized they were still quite hot. He hesitated and then blew on it a little before handing it to me with a smile. I took it from him, the bread warm in my palms.

"…thank you." I raised the muffin to my mouth, smelling that sweet smell again. I bit down. To say it was disgusting would have been rude, and to spit it out would have been ruder, but I was almost tempted to do both as I forced the lump down my throat and smiled. "Mmmm," I said, though my body was already trying to reject it. It seemed the reason it smelled so sweet was because it was nearly entirely made of sugar. He must have put way too much in.

"You like it?" he asked, beaming. I nodded my head a little, though I didn't like lying to him.

"What, uh…what did you put in these?" I asked. He stepped back to reveal the ingredients, which all looked to be right, except-

He had forgotten flour. And, by the taste of it, he must have accidentally used sugar in place for the flower. He looked at a small, creased piece of paper that sat on the counter in front of all the ingredients, reading it over a few times before some of the color drained from his face. He looked back at me, the muffin, and then the paper again.

"Flour," he said quietly.

"Flour." I repeated. He looked at me with a pale face.

"I cannot serve these." He picked up the tray, clearly forgetting it was hot. He promptly threw it across the room as soon as he realized, the muffins flying everywhere. I stared.

"Today has not been going well," Thor mumbled.

"That's okay. I'll help you make a new batch, alright?" I turned to him. "And, Jarvis, could you clean those up?"

"Right away, madam," the AI spoke from above us, already working on picking everything up.

"You know how to make moofins?" Thor asked me. I nodded.

"I like to bake. A lot," I replied. "And first of all, since this particular type of bread originated in the United States, that 'u' is not pronounced 'oo'. They're muffins."

"How embarrassing..." he mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. I understand. I'm not from America either." I smiled a little. "Okay. Now let's make sure you have flour this time, alright? And I'll teach you a few secret things you can do to make it taste better. Now, if you…"

I continued on with the instructions, feeling at home for the first time really since I'd been with these people. Baking was something my mother loved. And, so, even after she was long gone, I baked in her memory. Baking with Thor felt natural, though if I thought about it too hard my head started to hurt. I couldn't shake the strangeness that was me teaching a 'god' from another planet how to bake muffins. But, I guess it was a start to feeling comfortable with all the strange people I'd gotten myself thrown in with.

By the time the second batch of muffins was done a few of our super friends started to emerge from their rooms, piling around the edge of the counter to see what was going on, and what smelled so good. I was glad I'd decided we needed to double the recipe, because by the looks on everyone's faces this batch would be gone pretty quickly. Thor took them out of the oven and presented them to his friends, warning them before-hand that they were very hot. Not that anyone in this bunch needed reminding.

"These are good," Tony said. Even he had emerged to see what smelled nice.

"It was all Annabelle's doing." Thor said somewhat proudly. I flushed.

"No, no, I…" I cut myself off, looking around. I kind of had stolen the entire operation from Thor and gone into baking mode, doing mostly everything myself. "…okay, yeah, it was me," I said.

"Noted," he said, as if he was making a list on me. Knowing him, he probably was.

"Oh my _god._ I want seven." Naomi stalked into the kitchen, heading for the tray and grabbing three of them in one hand. That left only one remaining. She turned her eyes to me. "Are you making more?"

"Yes," I said shyly, feeling self-conscious around her now that I'd seen her and Steve together.

"Sweeeet." She stuffed one in her mouth and grabbed the remaining one, heading out to the table to wait for more. As she devoured the second and third one Steve entered, looking somewhat disheveled.

"…muffins?" he asked, a hungry look in his eyes. He walked into the kitchen only to see that the tray was empty. "…you guys ate them all before me?"

"Yup," Tony said, wiping his fingers on a napkin.

"I ate four," Naomi added. Steve shot a somewhat angry look at her. She opened her full mouth again to say, "Annabelle's a great cook. She'd be a good housewife." She grinned widely and Steve quickly looked away, seeming…embarrassed. I furrowed my brow in confusion as I pulled the other batch out of the oven, my cheeks reddening with the heat. I wiped my forehead and set the tray down to cool, stealing a glance back at Steve. Had I been wrong? I knew what I saw, but Steve and Naomi now didn't seem like they had feelings for each other at all. In fact, Naomi was implying that Steve would find interest in me being a housewife.

My face flushed more as that thought sunk in, though I was glad I could easily pull off the redness as being caused by the heat.

"Oh, I want you all to come down and get sized up. Have to do measurements for the suits. I think I've got the material where I want it," Tony said, backing away from the counter. "Meet me there in five." He turned on his heels and headed off down the hall whence he came, though the others stayed put. I quickly displayed the now cooled muffins. Everyone took at least one more, leaving just two left after they'd retreated.

"For you," I said, holding them out to Thor.  
"No, one for each of us." He smiled. I nodded once and took the one nearest to me, biting into it. This one was much better. And, it was extremely nostalgic for me. It was as if I was seven again, standing next to my mother as she fed me bits of batter before she put it in the oven, where we'd then wait in chairs watching it until they were done.

"Are you crying? I did not think it was bad. It was rather delicious…" Thor said, having already finished his.

"No," I said, quickly wiping my eyes and smiling. "Guess I'm just teary from the smoke coming out of the oven." I finished the muffin and swallowed, the nostalgia dying off.

"Then let us go down to get measured."

"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't mean me. I'm not an Avenger." I shook my head. He snorted, which caught me off guard.

"You are just as good as one, Annabelle Green. Come." He pushed my back so that I stumbled out of the kitchen, then walked in front of me and down the hall. I hesitated before following, leaving the sweet smelling room behind me.

Thor seemed to know where he was going as he headed down the various halls, eventually ending up before a door that sprung open when we approached. Inside was a room filled with complex machines and designs, and it looked very different from the rest of the base. Standing near a counter was Tony, currently taking Clint's measurements.

"-I think you've gotten shorter, Barton," Tony teased, and Clint groaned.

"Don't even say that. Why does everyone always pick on me?"

"Because you're an easy target," Natasha said over his shoulder with a grin. He shook his head, mumbling a few things under his breath as he stepped aside for her to get measured. Thor pushed me forward to the line, right behind Steve. We moved forward one by one until everyone was done and measured.

"Now, Annabelle, do you have a preference in colors? You're the only one I don't have some sort of color pallete for." Tony turned to me, a pen hanging out of his mouth.

"Oh, I don't really. You pick whatever you want."

"You don't have a logo either. You're so difficult. What am I supposed to put on the shoulder of your suit to identify it's yours?" I opened my mouth, but I didn't have an answer. I suddenly felt ashamed, though I really had no reason to. Tony's expression softened. "I'll think of something. It's going to be great. Just wait. And then when all of this is over we'll talk about getting you a real suit. Something practical for you. Maybe nylon…no…neoprene…" he trailed off mumbling to himself. A real suit? For me? Everyone around here seemed to think I was actually going to be able to function as a colleague, but…I could hardly figure out how I did the things I did.

"You have flour in your hair," Bruce said quietly from behind me, then lightly brushed a little bit off the top of my head. I spun around to look at him, touching my hair as I did so.

"Really? How bad is it?"

"Well…it's in multiple places. You might want to go look in a mirror." I scurried past him and tried to find where Natasha's room was, holding my hands over my hair as I did so. How embarrassing. Why had no one mentioned it before now? I ducked through the room and into the bathroom, nearly slamming myself in the face with the door that I guessed Jarvis had finally fixed from when Natasha knocked it off the hinges. I still didn't know exactly how she did that. I couldn't do that, I was sure. I surveyed myself in the mirror and wetted my hands, brushing them over the parts of my hair that were dusted in white. It took me a few minutes to get it all out, and even then I was worried I had missed a spot somewhere. Deciding I hadn't, I turned around.

My heart stopped. Standing on the other side of the door was one of the white creatures, tongue whipping around its cylindrical, smooth snout. I opened my mouth to scream for help when the door between us suddenly slammed shut, trapping me inside. I pulled at the door handle but to no avail, the door shut tight. I whipped my head to the side as the bath suddenly started running, as well as the faucets to the two sinks behind me. I scrambled over to the tub, knocking my knees hard against the porcelain as I turned the knob back, but it didn't appear to be doing anything. The water was coming out fast, too fast, and I could see from behind me that the water in the sinks was now flowing over the sides of the counter. Realizing I couldn't turn anything off, I backed away to the door. I crouched down to see if there was any space under the door where I could see anything, or where maybe someone could hear me from. Of course, the door was very securely sealed. I was trapped.


	21. Chapter 21

I didn't truly start panicking until the water reached my waist. I thought before then that surely someone could hear my yelling, or my pounding on the door, or even the roaring of the water as it quickly filled the room, still shooting out of all the faucets. But, as the water crawled up my torso, soaking my shirt, I realized no one could hear me. The lights in the room flickered above me, on and off, giving me a bigger headache than I already had. I tried not to outwardly panic; I didn't need to cause any of the lights in the room to blow out. Being in complete darkness would only make things worse. I felt my feet lift off the tiled floor beneath as I tried to swim up with the rapidly rising water. The ceiling was getting way too close for my comfort. I sucked in a deep breath and dove underwater, swimming over to the now completely submerged door and pressing my hands firmly against it. Natasha had blown it down. Whether she did it was some hidden strength or an outside force, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that if she did it, I could do it too. The resistance of the water wasn't helping much, however, and I felt as though I wasn't even creating enough force to push over a carton of milk, let alone an entire door. And, a Stark enforced door at that.

Swimming back up to the top made me realize that the water was rising even quicker than I had thought, and there was a dangerously small space between the ceiling and the water where I could hold my mouth up to breathe. I started to yell out names again, hoping desperately that someone could hear me, when I suddenly had an idea. I couldn't imagine why I hadn't thought of it sooner. I'd have cursed myself if I had enough time, but the water was rising fast and I knew I didn't. I drew a deep breath in and yelled, "JARV—" It was too late. The water cut me off before I could speak, pulling me under until I was completely submerged. Panicked, I pushed myself off of the wall and tried to ram the bathroom door again. It didn't budge, not even a little. I was running out of air quick as I rammed it again pointlessly, my lungs screaming with every slam. I clenched my fists and opened my eyes wide, my body burning and my mind racing. I forced the building, panicked energy inside of me away, everything suddenly erupting around me. The door crashed open and I sailed out of the bathroom, choking and sputtering on the water that had forced its way down my throat. The room beyond was now dark, too dark, as if all the lights had been cut off. _Of course._ I had cut the power off here, and I prayed here was the only place.

I was proven wrong, however, when Natasha's bedroom door was broken down and Steve and the others filed in. I couldn't see their bodies, their faces, any features, but I could tell who they were simply by the unique color of energy they emitted. For once, I was praising my strange abilities.

"I'm here," I coughed out. Someone in the back had a flashlight and turned it on, though I realized after a few seconds that it was only Tony's arc reactor.

"What happened?" Steve asked, somewhat feeling around in the dark.

"They're here. At least one of them is. I think it still has my powers. It locked me up in the bathroom and nearly drown me." I choked out as many words as I could before falling into another coughing fit, my lungs aching.

"That explains why this place is so soggy," Natasha commented, not sounding too pleased.

"Do you think it's still here?" Tony asked. I calmed myself down and took a deep breath, trying to focus on energy as best I could. Now that the power was out it was easier to spot human energy, and not only that, but a separate energy a few doors away that eerily reminded me of my own.

"It's still here," I said.

"You can see it?"

"No, I can feel it. And see it. I guess." I swallowed. "I'm not going to explain it. You won't understand. Just trust me. It's here."

"Cap, grab Annabelle and let's move rooms," Tony said, already on his way out.

"I can't see," said Steve. I crawled over to him, lightly pulling at his pant leg, still too exhausted to muster up the strength to stand. Steve bent down and lifted me up, holding me kind of awkwardly, like a baby, because he couldn't tell whether I was facing him or not. I was glad no one could see my cheeks redden in the dark.

"Follow me," Tony said from outside, a brighter light suddenly shining. He'd put on a piece of his armor, just covering his arm. He pointed it down the hall and everyone did their best to follow, keeping close.

"You look like a mess," Steve said, surveying me with the little light he now had.

"Smoooooth," Clint commented from somewhere behind us.

"This is why you don't have a girlfriend," Naomi added. I felt the slightest twinge of relief.

"I'm not in the market for one. There's too much going on," Steve answered. My relief was squashed. "I wasn't saying it to be rude." He looked down at me, though I could still barely make out his facial features in the dimness.

"It's fine," I said slowly, "I know what you meant." Did I, though? If I hadn't nearly been drowned, I would have taken offence to his comment. But I didn't want to argue, and I didn't want to start a fight. Not only was I too shaken, but I was also suddenly way too tired for any sort of nonsense.

"In here," Tony's light disappeared into a room to the left, and everyone scuttled after him. The last person in pulled the door shut, the sound seemingly way too loud in the strange silence hanging around the new room. Steve set me down.

"What do we do about this?" Natasha asked.

"First I want to know how the hell it got in," Tony replied, bitter. "It shouldn't have been able to get in."

"Well, it is in. And we need to move past the 'how' and think more about what our next plan of action is," Steve said. I ran a hand through my wet hair, some water still dripping off of my clothes and onto the floor. If it wasn't for the situation, I'd feel bad about making the floor wet.

"If I may," Naomi started, stepping a bit closer to the group. "Annabelle can see it. We'll have her keep track of it, let us know where it's moving, all that jazz. Natasha, Clint and I should stand by the door in case it gets in. It'll hit us first. Tony, if you could stay towards the center of the room and keep it somewhat lit, that would be beneficial for everyone's nerves. Even as a grown woman this kind of darkness gives me the heebie jeebies. If Clintasha and I can't keep the creature subdued, it's up to you guys to figure out how to take it down without it doing any damage. Got it?"

"Clintasha?" Clint asked, but he was ignored.

"Sounds pretty solid," Natasha said. "Annabelle, think you can be our eyes?"

"Yes," I replied, nodding my head once even though it was still too dark for anyone to see my gesture. If there was one thing I could do, it was this. Seeing things this way already felt natural to me, so I had no problem locating the alien once again and keeping my focus on it.

"It hasn't moved," I reported.

"Good." Naomi retreated for the door, Clint and Natasha following after. Tony held his armored hand up to keep the room bathed in a dim light, enough that everyone's body shape was easily recognizable.

"Center of the forehead. Remember," Thor said.

"Got it," Naomi called. I fidgeted anxiously as I watched the creature from a few rooms over, tugging on Steve's sleeve as soon as I saw the glowing light move positions.

"It's coming closer this way," I said, holding my breath. "I don't know if it senses us. If it has my abilities still, it definitely knows where we are. Just like I know where it is."

"It should not still have your abilities…it should not even be here. It was destroyed on the plane," Thor said, sounding perplexed.

"I know what I see. And from what I see, that creature has something of mine inside of it." I closed my eyes, trying to focus on it better. It was hard to tell just how far away it was, the eerie color emitting from it coming off a bit fuzzy to me.

"Perhaps they can transfer abilities amongst each other."  
"I really hope not. I don't want a bunch of freak alien Annabelles running around. No offense," Tony said. I shook my head.

"I understand." I swallowed. "…it's getting closer to the door now. It isn't that far down the hall."

"Guess we'd better get ready." I heard Naomi crack her knuckles. "Let's do this."


	22. Chapter 22

No one was as prepared as they could have been when the alien pried the door off its hinges, shooting into the room like a bullet and ramming its head into the first target: Natasha. She sailed backwards and hit the wall with a loud crash, everyone scattering and almost immediately abandoning the original plan. I saw Naomi leap through the dark before Tony's light went out as he called his entire suit over his body, going after the creature himself. I heard the distinct sound of an arrow hitting the wall, and then a blindingly bright flash of light engulfed the room. Though I was now blinded, and the room was back to pitch black, I was still able to feel everyone's location and moved towards Steve. He seemed to be standing very still near the corner, conflicted, his body stiff.

"Don't help," I said as soon as I got close enough, grabbing his arm. "They can handle it."

"I'm not so sure," he said. I hated the fact that I actually agreed with him. As much as I wanted to believe that they'd easily take this creature down I could clearly feel the struggle in the room, and I feared for their lives. If they were killed by that thing, I couldn't help but blame myself. It was part me, and it was the 'me' part of it that was the most dangerous.

"I fucking wish I could see!" Naomi yelled from across the room, before grunting as another bang was heard against the wall. I silently cursed myself for turning the power off and then left Steve's side, my mind running fast. I felt around in the dark, still keeping my thoughts on the constantly moving energies of the people across the room from me, until my fingers ran across the base of something sitting on a table. I quickly felt around the shape, concluding that it was a small desk lamp. It was perfect.

Without fully being aware of what I was doing I ripped the lamp away from the wall and ran to the center of the room, holding it up over my head and sucking in a deep breath. I could feel warmth running from the core of my body, rising up through the veins in my arms before, miraculously, the lamp flickered on. I could now clearly see Natasha as she roundhouse kicked the creature across the face and Naomi came up behind it, jabbing her fingers at it rapidly until it collapsed onto the floor.

"Thanks!" she yelled. I kept the lamp held high. Clint stepped back and held his bow up, closing one eye and aiming a flat-ended arrow at the alien.

"Center of the forehead, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Thor called from the opposite side of the room. Clint nodded once and took a gentle breath in, then released the arrow. It spun across the room and hit the dead center of the alien's forehead, sticking there like a suction cup.

"Get down!" Clint yelled, ducking back. Everyone did the same, and I abandoned the lamp just before the tip of the arrow blew, sending everyone backwards. It was a horribly small space for an explosion to go off, but after the dust had cleared and my ears stopped ringing I was glad to feel that everyone in the room was still alive.

"Is it dead?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah," I responded, doing another quick check of the room before nodding needlessly in the dark.

"Everyone all right?" Steve asked. He got a few grunts and grumbles in response.

"Now I can work on getting the power back on, we can fix Nat's room, and I can get back on those suits," Tony said.

"Hold on," I said quickly, doing another scan of the room, my body tensing. Where Bruce's energy was once situated there was now a different one completely, bigger, more ominous, less friendly. I could only guess what that meant. I quickly ran to the lamp and picked it up again, flashing it towards the corner where Bruce once stood. Hulk stood in his place, covering his eyes with one large hand as I shined the light directly on him. He huffed out in anger and brought the hand down in a fist against the wall, making a sizeable hole.

"That's not good," Naomi mumbled.

"Natasha, g—" Before Steve could finish talking Hulk had reached out and grabbed me, the lamp flinging from my grasp and crashing to the floor, plummeting the room into darkness again. I couldn't even muster a scream as he swung me into the wall, my body flopping around like that of a rag doll. I heard someone yell my name but couldn't distinguish who, my mind very quickly getting fuzzy as Hulk tossed me around and rammed me into various things. I tried to stay calm as I heard a snap coming from one of my limbs, trying to relax myself so that minimal damage was done. I'd been told a long time ago that tensing up only made injury worse. With all the swinging around that was being done with me, I'd have snapped in half already if I'd been tense. I heard scuffles and yelling as everyone tried their best in the dark to get to me, until finally Hulk tossed me across the room. I hit the wall and rolled across the floor, too scared to move or make a sound, grunting and fighting noises echoing from the other side of the room.

After a few agonizing minutes someone scooped me up, my body splitting with pain as they lifted me over their shoulder and bolted out of the room with me. It took me a moment of extreme focus to realize this person was Thor. His hammer lit up a bit in the dark as he carried me through the halls and to the entrance where we had come in.

"We will have to break through since the power is not working," Thor said, his voice close to my ear. "Hold on tight, Annabelle Green." I did so as best I could, my stomach lurching as we were suddenly speeding up towards the roof, crashing through several layers of metal-locked doors before the chill of the outside air hit me hard in the face. Even though the sky was overcast with snow-spilling clouds, the light seemed extremely bright on my tired eyes as Thor laid me down on the snow. My body finally tensed up as the cold hit my skin, goosebumps almost immediately rising on my arms and legs.

"I will return." Thor leaped back down the gaping hole he had made in the entrance to the base, leaving me alone in the thick pile of snow. More flakes fell over my face, heavy and wet. I let my eyes fall shut and tried to relax, hoping I could mend the damage that Hulk had done to my body. I needed to simply lay still and let the soft blue energy welling inside of me wash through my veins and fix what had been broken. Oddly enough, I had a large amount of confidence that everything was going to be fine. Even though I was lying in a bank of snow, battered and broken, and my superhero dream team was battling one of their own miles below me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of calm.

I dozed off.

When I awoke there was something warm beside me. It took me a moment to come to completely, but when I did I realized that 'something warm' was Clint. He was huddled up beside me, arm around my shoulders, tucking me in such a way that I was folded against him, his body shivering. From what I could tell we were still outside, the snow sitting and continuously collecting in my thick hair. I turned my head away from Clint's chest to try to get a look at the situation, finding that everyone else was up and around. Naomi trudged through the snow nearest to us, tapping away at a slim phone that she had propped up in her hands. A little farther away stood Steve, talking with Tony, who was still fully suited. Thor seemed to be shouting at the sky a little ways away, and even farther past him sat Natasha and a very torn up looking Bruce.

"How are you doing?" Clint asked me, voice hushed and stuttered. I swallowed, my throat dry, and managed to pull my head up to look at him. His right eye was swollen, already bruising around the skin. He noticed me staring and lightly brushed his hand over the bruise, shaking his head. "Got clocked in the face with an elbow. Not sure who's elbow. Not like it matters. Looks pretty bad, huh?"

"Not that bad," I choked out, my words weak. The more this crazy day went on the more tired I felt. It probably didn't help that I hadn't slept in nearly a week, staying awake since we arrived at the base.

"You don't have to lie. I can take it."

"I'm being honest. It really doesn't look that horrible. How do _I _look? I'm sure I look much worse." I sat myself up a bit more, though I stayed as close to him as possible for his body heat. The air was frigid alone, and even more miserable with all the snow. I'd take all the heat I could get.

"You look great, considering," he said. "Were you scared? That must have been terrifying. Bruce is beside himself over it, you know."

"I know he can't help it. Poor guy has hulked out too many times recently. I feel bad for him."

"It's incredible that you keep surviving these things, you know. I hope you're considering joining the team when all this is over. We could use someone like you. Especially if you can manage to turn that healing power of yours on other people." I couldn't catch the groan that escaped my lips in time, getting a strange look from Clint after it was out.

"…I'm sorry," I said, "It's just…you all keep saying that. That I should join the team. That I should be an Avenger. I don't know how many times I have to explain that I'm dangerous and unpredictable, and I don't belong here."  
"Bruce is dangerous and unpredictable."  
"Bruce has his heart in the right place. Bruce has the makings of a hero. I don't, Clint. I don't care what you guys say to me. You can't see what a coward I am. How scared I am to do anything. How obedient I am to the wrong people. I can't be a hero. I appreciate you thinking I can, but I can't." Clint stayed quiet, an unsettling silence falling over us. The wind whipped more snow into my face, as well as dumping some of the snow from my hair out onto mine and Clint's laps. He didn't respond. The only gesture he made came a few moments later, when he squeezed my arm tight and pulled me closer.

"You're just a kid. It's okay to be scared," he said quietly. This time I was the one who fell silent, my body sinking against his.


	23. Chapter 23

We were out in the cold with no plane and no service. I stood now submerged up to my knees in frigid ice and snow, my body violently and uncontrollably shaking. Clint was still huddled up next to me, trying to keep the both of us warm, though I could feel he was shaking almost as bad as I was. The others were desperately trying to contact someone from SHIELD, except for Bruce, who was standing a few feet away and looking miserable after Natasha had left his side. I reached out a hand to him but he only retreated farther, wrapping his arms around himself. Clint pulled me back.

"Leave him. He's afraid he'll Hulk-out again," he said quietly, his breath burning hot against my ear. I leaned closer against him, sinking against his body heat.

"You know it's warmer if you take your clothes off," Tony said, his voice suddenly very loud and close. I turned my head to see the face of the suit, trying to form some spiteful response, if only my shuttering lips would cooperate. What resulted was a strange jumble of sounds, which Tony laughed at and flew off. His thrusters kicked up snow onto my face. My body seized up.

"Idiot," Clint muttered through chattering teeth, tightening his arms on me.

"Hey, need some more heat?" Natasha asked. Clint opened his arm a bit and she tucked herself in next to us.

"Any luck?" Clint looked at her, the fog of his breath blinding all three of us momentarily.

"Not yet. Tony was going to fly out to find civilization, but his power is running low. And Thor can't seem to contact Asgard."

"Great. Of all the places to die…"  
"We've survived worse than this."

"Excuse me," I sputtered out, moving away from their warm embrace. They both looked after me as I trudged over to Steve, my body aching and sagging like frozen, dead weight.

"We're trying," Steve said as I approached.

"I can go find the nearest town," I said, my voice coming out quieter than expected. He shot me a look.

"You're freezing."  
"I can run fast…" I swallowed, feeling like my spit was freezing as it trickled down my throat.

"Annabelle, you can't. It's too dangerous," he lectured, furrowing his brow. I tried to stand tall, confident, but the trembling of my body only made me look weaker. "We'll figure a way out of this. We always do," he said, a determined look in his eyes.

"Some things can't be done without sacrifice," I responded sternly, though the words stuttered as they left my quivering lips.

"We don't need a sacrifice."

"I'm done with this!" The words came out harsher than I intended, and Steve's expression changed. I took a shaky breath in and lowered my voice. "Everyone else has displayed so much confidence in me. Everyone keeps saying what a great addition to the team I'd be. But you keep holding me back. You treat me like some fragile annoyance that needs to be kept back and out of the way. I don't understand what I need to do to prove myself to you."

"Nothing. Annabelle, don't you understand that? I'm just trying to protect you. I do believe in you. I think you've got incredible abilities and incredible enthusiasm. But I've been where you are. Rough past, suddenly given a chance to be something more, being thrown into something suddenly that's so different from your world, feeling lost and having to fight with yourself over what could have happened if you had only stayed and listened…I went through it too. I understand. I knew about this, about your life, even before we met. And I felt for you. When I saw you, I felt like I had to protect you. If from anything, from yourself. Can't you understand that?" I swallowed, the snow on my hair suddenly feeling much heavier as soon as the last word left his lips. I felt emotions well up inside of me, forcing tears to my eyes. I shook my head. I couldn't cry now. Later, when everything was resolved and I figured out where and who I was supposed to be, I would cry. Hard.

"Please let me go," I whispered, barely audible over the snow-filled wind that danced around us. Steve's jaw tightened.

"Fine."

"Stay here. I'll come back and find you if I'm able to locate someplace safe. If I don't come back in a few hours, just go on without me."

"I'll come looking for you."  
"It'd be a waste of time. Steve, look, I'm not an Avenger. The world doesn't need me. If I don't come back, no one will miss me." I tried to put on a brave face, even though the truth of the words stung.

"I'll miss you," Clint said, him and Natasha joining us. "You're just the kind of interesting we needed around here."

"I'd miss you too. I didn't know I needed a girlfriend until now." Natasha flashed me a smile, but a lump formed in my throat. "And Steve would definitely miss you," she added. I glanced at Steve, whose face had softened a bit.

"It's…been really nice having you around," he said quietly. I sucked in a deep breath, feeling more and more emotional by the second. I'd never felt wanted before. At least, not like this.

"I'm still going to go," I spoke slowly, "I want to have the chance to save you guys if I can."

"Will you let me come with you?" Steve asked, his facial expression hardening once again. He was back to business.

"If you can keep up," I smirked a bit, though the constant clattering of my teeth made it difficult.

"Ooooh," Clint sang from behind me, Steve shaking his head a little.

"You might have to slow down a bit," he admitted, grinning slightly in return.

"Good luck. Remember to come back if something goes wrong," Natasha said, then pulled something from her pocket and handed it to Steve. He tucked it in his own pocket securely. When he noticed my staring, he explained, "Tracking device."

"So I can at least see where you guys go. Just in case." She pulled her sleeve back to show a high-tech-looking watch, a little sensor light flashing at the top. I nodded, the cold creeping up on me again. It was strange how it came in waves, pulses almost. I wondered if anyone else was experiencing it.

"Let's get going," Steve called, turning and waving over his shoulder at Natasha and Clint, who waved back in almost a salute. I trudged along behind him, my legs slow in the thick snow.

"I'm going to start running," I yelled up to him, trying to lift my legs more against the snow.

"I'll follow as best I can," he replied. I inhaled and channeled my energy into my legs, like I had done before, picking up speed. The warm cloud of my breath hit me in the face. It wasn't long before I had picked up almost enough speed to leap in bounds over the packed snow. I tried to focus on finding something beyond the rapid, blinding shower of snow that beat against my face, though there didn't seem to be anything within miles of where we left everyone. I could feel that Steve was lagging a little behind me and slowed my pace to let him catch up.

"You look like a deer or something," he said once he was within earshot.

"Gee, thanks."  
"I don't mean it in a bad way, of course. Deer are elegant, I guess." I rolled my eyes. "See anything?"

"Not yet. I can't feel anything around here. It's all just-.." I stopped talking, feeling something a ways away that sparked my interest. "There's something over there," I yelled over the wind.

"Lead the way."

I bolted off in a different direction, trying to narrow my focus on the strange and sudden spot of energy that was located far beyond the waves of snow. The packed snow seemed to be thinning out ahead of me, to my relief. The relief didn't last long, however, because I realized a second too late that the snow had thinned because there was a large pool of open water pooled out in the open. I couldn't stop fast enough, and plunged into the water. I was immediately met with excruciating pain, the water boiling against my skin the moment it made contact. Steam rolled up around me as I pulled my head up out of the water, my body not cooperating from the drastic change of temperature. I heard a yell before I was tugged back out into the cold, my skin still sweltering, a scream lodged in the back of my throat. I couldn't get it out, in too much shock.

"Hold on!" Steve yelled, throwing me against the snow. Once again, the temperature change was shocking, but this time relief quickly followed.

"W-what the fuck…" I sputtered, steam rising off of my skin. I didn't want to look to see what the damage was, squeezing my eyes shut again.

"Must be some sort of hot spot…hot spring…something…I…" I heard him take a stuttered breath. "Are you okay?"

"Give me a minute," I muttered, trying to muster up the strength to self-heal.

"I tried to grab you…I should have noticed before," Steve said, his words a bit fast.

"Steve, shut up." I held my breath, still focusing. "I'm fine. Just hold on."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

I took a few moments to myself, trying to undo all the damage that the scorching water had done. It took a while for me to realize, though, that I was far too tired to fix all of it. I had already done so much with my powers today, and they no longer seemed to be cooperating.

"I can't…I'm not okay. Look, there's a building over there. I can feel it. It's small, but it has power. I don't know how, I don't know why, but it's there. Go find it. Then go back and get everyone else. You guys can hide out there." I winced a bit as I finished speaking, my skin peeling already.

"No." Before I could protest Steve had scooped me up, heading off in the direction I had indicated. He trekked around the steaming lake, pushing past the wind and the snow until some faint lights were seen across the blizzard. It seemed like forever before we ended up at the front door to a small, wood cottage, two lights shining brightly on each side of it. Steve didn't even knock, breaking down the door with one kick and taking me inside. I tried to see if anyone was inside, but I was very quickly losing consciousness and couldn't see or feel a thing. Before I knew it, I had faded off completely.


	24. Chapter 24

I woke up to find I was wrapped securely in a blanket, laying across a stiff couch. A small fire was lit in a stone fireplace several feet from me, and between the couch and the fire sat a worn old table. I sat myself up slowly and propped myself as best I could against the small armrest behind my head. My arms stung as I pulled them out of the blanket.

"Well look here. Desert princess is awake," a voice called from behind me, one that I didn't recognize. It was male, and a strange accented twang lined his words. I tried to turn my head in his direction but was met with a searing pain around my neck.

"No, no," the voice said, "don't be moving just for me. You got sum nasty burns, you do. I love that there hot lake, but I s'pose it is kinda startling to sum'un who hasn't' been around here before." A large wrinkled hand passed by my field of vision, setting a chipped glass mug on the rickety table in front of me. "Drink that. It'll make you feel better. Your big boyfriend fellow is in the other room try'na call your friends."

"He should go back out and find them instead. Trying to call them isn't going to do anything," I croaked out.

"I reckon he wanted to stay here with you. Should'a seen him carrying you in here like you was his queen." I couldn't figure out where this man was from, his accent all over the place. Sometimes he sounded British, Ukrainian, American, or some other part of the world that I didn't recognize.

I took a deep breath in, my body aching.

"I'm not a queen," I said, slowly reaching for the cup and bringing it to my lips. The contents were cold, but almost felt warm as they trickled down my throat after my first sip. I must have looked surprised, because the man let out a great, bellowing laugh that seemed to shake the small house.

"That's something special there. Helps the body fight off bacteria. With the condition your skin is in, figured you'd need it."  
"Thank you…" I lightly touched a few fingers to my cheek, wondering just how bad the damage really was.

"Oh, don't worry, you're still pretty as a peach. Like your face wasn't even touched. Lucky break, there. Would'a been a shame."

"Annabelle." Steve came into the room from one of the connecting halls, crouching down in front of me. "Let me see." He gently held my chin and moved my face, examining each side before checking my exposed arms. "Good, you're looking better already. The way you looked before…I was worried." He took a moment before standing, stepping away so that I could see the fire again.

"Did you manage to contact someone?" I asked.

"Yeah, Natasha. I turned the tracking device on and off to speak with her in Morse code."

"Smart."  
"I'm not just muscle, you know. I have brains too."

"I'm sure Tony would have something to say about that." We shared a smirk, and for a moment I almost forgot the stinging pain of my skin. After that moment was gone, however, the pain was very quick to come back.

"How many more've you got coming?" the man from behind me asked.

"Six," Steve replied.

"Gonna be quite packed in here."  
"Thank you for offering your home. We won't stay for long," Steve assured.

"How do you survive out here?" I asked, trying again to crane my neck to get a good look at him. I could see a few scraggly white hairs from what appeared to be a massive beard, but I couldn't see much else.

"The hot pool out there's what I use for water and electricity. Have a whole system going. I also have a room dedicated to growin' lots of plants and edibles. And occasionally some big critters will come around here. I need my protein too, though I do feel a'bit bad killing them when they come all the way out here."

"That's…amazing." I turned a bit more, getting a broader view of the heavily bearded man. He had some sort of red colored wrap around his head, two little raising eyes peeking out from under it. His face was worn and wrinkled, just like his hand, but his eyes glinted and seemed to smile as he looked at me.

"S'just the way I live. Nothin' amazing about survival."

"Why don't you try to go find civilization?"  
"I kinda like being alone. After you get used to the silence, it's not so bad." I nodded a little and looked down at my peeling hands. I was all too familiar with the silence after all those lonely years after my mother died, but I'd never grown fond of it like this man apparently had. I wanted to be around people…_needed _to be around people.

There came a great few knocks at the door, along with a nasty snarl that remotely sounded like a bear. I, however, with my abilities slowly regenerating, could easily tell that it was Tony being his usual jackass self. Steve ripped the door open and gave Tony a somewhat irritated look. He was still completely protected by his Iron Man suit, but the others behind him – minus Thor – looked nothing short of freezing.

"Come in, come in," the man said, pulling himself up and walking over to the door. He was a skinny old man, his beard making his head look huge on his tiny body. Regardless, he seemed to move quite quickly and gracefully as he ushered everyone in.

"Cozy," Natasha commented, examining the small entrance room. I gave a weak wave, my arm stinging with the movement.

"…Annabelle, what happened?" Bruce was suddenly by my side, looking concerned. His hair looked almost frozen to the top of his head, little ice crystals on his eyelashes. His glasses were tucked in his shirt pocket, the lenses completely fogged over.

"I fell in a lake," I said slowly, grateful that he was actually talking to me. The way he had been before, so reserved and almost scared to even make contact with me, had really made me concerned. I liked Bruce. I didn't want him to feel like he couldn't be around me in fear of hurting me.

"Yeah, that one out there kind of took us by surprise as well…strange place to have a hot spring." He lowered himself on to the couch next to me. "May I see?" I nodded and held my arms out for him, which he gently took.

"I've already started regenerating a little bit," I started, "but I think I've regenerated one too many times today, so it's going a bit slow for now…" He looked down in shame, and I quickly changed the subject. "This man has been living here for who knows how long, surviving off of that lake and his own wits. Isn't that something?"

"Mmm, pretty impressive," he said quietly, focusing on my arms. "I think you should take a cold bath, Annabelle. Might help ease the pain. And maybe if you relax you'll be able to heal quicker. Maybe. I'm…still not really sure how you work."  
"No one is sure," Thor said, coming around from behind the couch, a large, steaming mug in hand. "You are an enigma."

"Thanks," I said halfheartedly.

"Move over," Tony threw himself over the back of the couch, now out of his armor, pushing Bruce away from me and sitting in his spot. His rash movement sent a shock of pain through my body, and I bit down hard on my lip.

"_Tony,_" Steve snapped, sitting on the opposite side of me. I wasn't entirely sure how three grown men with me squished in the middle were able to fit on such a small, old couch, but I was too stiff to question it. Bruce made an uncomfortable sound and quickly wiggled his way into a standing position, hurriedly leaving the room.

"I'll talk to him," Natasha said, following after. Clint joined us, though respectfully sat on the floor with his legs crossed to keep from crowding us any further.

"What a day, huh?" Naomi asked, taking a seat at one of the wooden barstools that were pushed up to the kitchen counter, a few feet behind the couch.

"We'll get this all figured out soon," Clint said.

"This is how your life usually is, is it not?" Thor asked, sipping his drink again. "It is exciting, in my honest opinion."

"Yeah, exciting. Sure," Clint mumbled. "I need to retire…" Everyone fell silent and I watched the sparks crackle from the fire, mesmerized for a moment as I stared into it. There was something about fire that was so relaxing, the way it swayed and danced as it licked the edges of the rock fireplace keeping it contained. Every 'pop' released a small explosion of ash and tiny fire crystals.

"Hey, can I see your power source? I need to tinker a bit to charge my suit so I can get us going and out of your hair," Tony said, facing the old man.

"Sure thing. Follow me." I felt him leave the room, Tony standing and exiting as well.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asked me, looking over at me with concern. I tore my eyes from the fire and shrugged my shoulders very slightly, trying not to bother my skin.

"I think I'll take that cold bath now," I said. He nodded.

"Hopefully Tony can get his suit going pretty soon so we can all get out of here," Clint mumbled.

"I am sure he will figure it out," Thor replied, sounding confident.

I slowly lifted myself off the couch and stumbled towards the corner of the room, where a narrow hall was connected. I couldn't tell where the bath actually was, but I was sure with enough looking I'd be able to find it.

"Let me help," Steve said, suddenly beside me, gently taking my arm. He lead me around the hall, checking different doors and rooms before finding the bathroom, which was just as small and compact as the rest of the house. The tub though, surprisingly, was a lot cleaner than I expected it to be. It was a good thing the old man seemed to be tidy. I wouldn't dare take a bath in a tub that was caked with dust or mold. No way.

"Thanks," I turned to Steve, giving him a grateful smile, "I think I've got it from here."  
"I don't want to leave you alone in here," he said slowly. "You're not well. If you somehow slipped or got submerged in water, or—"  
"Steve," I cut him off, "I'm not a child."

"I know that. I wasn't saying…" He sighed. "…Look. If it wouldn't make you uncomfortable, I'd like to stay in here. I'd face away, of course. But then I'd be here in case anything happened."  
"Geez, and here Tony is always saying you're modest and shy about this stuff…" I mumbled, heat rushing to my cheeks.

"…I am. Usually. Normally. I mean, I'm not exactly…when it comes to women, I…But this is a safety issue. When it comes to safety, there's no excuse." I could have sworn that I saw his cheeks flush pink, which made the butterflies that began fluttering in my stomach to go ballistic.

"Okay," I said quietly, trying not to sound as embarrassed as I felt. "You can stay. For safety reasons."

"I'll sit right here," Steve plopped himself down on the lid of the toilet, turning away from the tub, his massive frame looking almost comical inside such a tiny space. I waited a few moments, making sure there was no way he could see me before carefully and slowly peeling my damaged clothing off, my skin screaming in pain as I did so. I ran the tub, making sure to keep the water cool, feeling awkward as I stood with my back to Steve, my arms wrapped around myself. As soon as the bath was full I turned off the water and lowered myself into it, the cool water immediately relieving. I laid my head back against the tiled wall and let my eyes fall shut.

"It's not always this bad, you know," Steve said after a few minutes. "These kinds of invasions only happen every once in a while. So…don't think that if you joined us it would constantly be like this."

"Are you trying to convince me to stay once this is all over?" I asked.

"I just think we could use someone like you around. You seem to do pretty well at diffusing our internal conflicts, and your powers are incredibly powerful and would be a big help."

"You know my father is probably never going to stop coming after me."

"We'll make sure you stay safe. That's what we do. We keep each other safe. We wouldn't let him hurt you anymore."

"Is it bad that I almost want to go back?" I lowered my voice a bit, half hoping he wouldn't hear me. He took a moment to respond.

"No. I think that's normal. Sometimes abusers have a certain effect on people that makes them feel like they need to stay, or that they're worthless. I don't know if you're feeling that or not. If you are, it's not true. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. And I was in the military." I heard a smile beneath his words, which triggered a small smile on my own lips. "Just don't completely dismiss the idea of staying with us, please. We love you."

"You love me?" I opened one eye to look at him, holding my breath. His frame stiffened.

"I…I said we…I meant…"

"Calm down, I'm messing with you." I closed my eye again, lowering my face somewhat under the water to try to cool off my suddenly hot face. Those butterflies in my stomach sure were active.

We didn't talk for the remainder of my bath, which came somewhat to my relief. There was an awkward tension whenever I talked to Steve, though sometimes I was sure it was only one sided. I'd had a stupid crush on him for the longest time, and now that I was around him it was hard to shake, though I so desperately tried. Steve had always been the thing that had given me confidence against my father, and the fact that the real Steve was doing the same really tugged on my emotions.

"Hand me a towel?" I asked, sitting up a bit out of the water. He leaned over and took a folded towel that was sitting on the counter, examining it.

"I don't know if this is clean…"

"It doesn't matter." I reached my hand out for it, and he nearly threw it in the water trying to get it to me without looking. It took me a few tries to comfortably wrap the towel around my skin, which did seem to be looking at least a little better. "I could use a hand. You can look now." He hesitated for a moment and then turned, letting out a small breath of relief when he saw me standing and fully unexposed. He offered an arm to me, which I used to get myself up over the lip of the tub and back onto the tile floor.

"Are you going to wear what you've been wearing?" he asked. I looked down at the mangled pile of clothes I had left on the floor, my bra very thankfully hidden underneath the sweatpants.

"I wish I had something else."  
"We could ask the man living here if he has anything he could lend. Don't know if any of it would fit, though. He seems pretty small."

"If he had a button up shirt and maybe some more sweatpants that would be plenty enough. I'd  
feel bad taking it, though. Not like he can go buy more."

"I'll see what I can find. Are you okay staying and sitting here?" I nodded and sat myself down, smiling.

"…thanks, Steve. For everything."

"Don't thank me. Hang in there." With that he left the room and I stayed put, taking a deep breath to finally calm those butterflies flitting around inside of me.


	25. Chapter 25

"I'm heading out," Tony said at the door, the frigid wind blowing past him and chilling the room. He was fully suited and charged, after successfully using the limited resources here. The plan was for him to take off and fly to the nearest SHIELD facility to get a jet, then come back to pick the rest of us up. Then, after we'd flown back to the base, we'd get a team together and discuss our next plan of action while Tony used the labs to finally finish the special suits that were supposed to prevent the enemy from sapping any abilities. Tony seemed positive that they would work, but I felt a little skeptical. I didn't doubt his genius; I just didn't want to be without my abilities again. Having them taken from me was like suddenly losing my sight, or hearing. I'd love to prevent that as much as possible. Plus, I was excited that I was finally going to get into a set of clothing that was made for me. I was tired of the clothes that didn't fit me.

We said our goodbyes as Tony flew out into the snowstorm. I lost sight of him after only a few moments, the storm carrying him away. The heat from the fire quickly warmed the room back up as soon as the door was sealed shut, and I took my seat back on the couch. I would have liked to stand and stare out the window, the wispy, ice crystal-lined wind somewhat soothing, but my legs were complaining far too much for me to have a choice. There was no denying that my skin was getting drastically better, but it was far from being perfect again. Just like the previous scars on my body, I was sure these scars would be visible for the rest of my life; Just another reminder of my mistakes. Steve sat himself down next to me, which wasn't surprising considering he hadn't left my side since the lake incident. Tony had cracked a few jokes at first, but Steve didn't back off. No matter how many times I insisted I was fine he still continued to help me with everything and follow me around like some loyal dog. I was sure part of him felt guilty, like me getting burned was somehow his fault. It wasn't, of course, but he probably wouldn't listen if I told him that.

I gave him a sideways glance and pulled on the sleeves of my new sweater, turning my eyes to the crackling fire. The old man had given me the sweater as well as a pair of slacks that had been his wife's. The slacks fit surprisingly well, though the sweater was clearly not made for someone with chest dimensions like mine. With every new shirt that I had to squeeze myself into I felt more and more self conscious. I was grateful for what I had been given none the less, glad I didn't have to spend this time in a towel that was constantly in danger of slipping off. That was the last thing I needed right now. Though the sweater was a bit scratchy, I was glad for the coverage. I wanted to ask about the man's wife, though something told me that I shouldn't bring it up. She obviously wasn't around anymore, and I felt so horribly awkward discussing the death of a loved one. Not to mention, it made me a little emotional still after all these years of being without my mother.

"You look so thoughtful," Steve said, nudging my shoulder. "Worried about Stark?"

"Oh, honestly...I wasn't even thinking about that," I admitted, biting down on my lip and shifting my eyes over to him. "Does that make me horrible? Of course I hope he'll be okay. But I kind of just...have this strong feeling that he will be." Steve chuckled.

"Yeah. I have that feeling too."

We spent several hours in that cabin waiting before Tony came back. Clint had drifted off to sleep in an armchair in the corner of the room, his chest softly rising and falling as the occasional snore slipped out of his mouth. He nearly leaped out of his chair when Tony forced the door open, out of his suit, yelling his arrival.

"About time," Naomi mumbled from one of the stools by the kitchen. Natasha grunted in agreement.

"Did you get it?" Steve asked. Tony gave him a sarcastic snort, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Please. Of course I did. While you were here all snuggled with Annabelle, while Clint was snoozing, and while Naomi was eating all of this kind gentleman's food," he paused and pointed at Naomi, who had a mouth full of what looked to be kale, "I was out getting business done. Let's get going."

"So abrupt," Naomi mumbled through her kale stuffed mouth.

"I'll get Bruce," Natasha said, standing. Bruce had been hiding in one of the back rooms since Tony had left, assuring it would be safer for all of us.

"It'll be quiet here once you all leave," the old man said, wiggling his nose a little so that his facial hair swished back and forth.

"Won't you be lonely?" I asked, looking back at him with concern. He let out a hardy laugh.

"No no, princess, I'll be just fine. Been livin' here alone for quite some time. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be here."

"Right. Of course." I gave him a small smile. "Best of luck."  
"T'you as well. Figure you'll be needin' it more."

"You got that right," Clint muttered. "Thanks for letting us crash."

"Yes, thank you so much," Bruce said, entering from the hall with Natasha. He fumbled around with his glasses and a cleaning cloth, looking a little agitated.

"Was my pleasure. Not every day a bunch o' super-humans barge into my home. Will be quite the story to tell." _To who?_ I wondered, but kept my mouth shut. I followed the others as they filed out of the house, all giving their thanks as they passed. The man was all smiles behind that big beard of his, his dark eyes twinkling. It was hard closing the door behind me, knowing I'd most likely never see that kind old face again. I hated goodbyes.

Clint helped lift me up into the new jet, which I was less than enthusiastic about considering the many issues we seemed to have with the jets in the past.

"Let us hope this one gets us to our destination without falling apart," Thor commented, as if reading my mind. "Your mortal contraptions are so fragile."  
"None of them would break if I built them," Tony bragged, moving past us to go to the front of the jet.

"You know, I'm not sure I missed him when he was gone," Clint said, flopping himself down onto the metal bench beside me.

"Oh, Clint, that's cold," Natasha joked, a wide grin on her face.

"My feelings are hurt," Tony added, yelling back to us.

"You can't win, Clint," I said, amused.

"I know. Everyone picks on me. What am I, the community joke?"

"Yes." Natasha smirked. Clint playfully punched her side.

Steve got in last, sitting across from me just before Tony fired up the engines and took us into the air. My stomach lurched as we shot through the sky at speeds a little fast for my comfort, the snow and ice cracking against the glass windshield until we got high enough to get out of it. It sputtered and jumped several times from the wind currents beneath us, which made this trip arguably the worst so far. Luckily, though, we didn't have long until we descended, a large facility coming into view, which I could only see if I stretched my neck and leaned against Clint to see out the front. Maybe part of the reason these jets were so horrible were because they had no 'passenger' windows. I realized these were most likely military planes of some sort, but it would have been a nice touch in my opinion. Who said soldiers couldn't enjoy the view?

After we landed it seemed like forever until we actually made it inside the building, which was warm and spacious. After being cooped up for such a long time, both underground and in that tiny cabin, the freedom of this place felt relieving.

"Fury will be arriving shortly," a female agent informed us, dressed in formal business attire. "Naomi, you're needed at the New York base. They'll be sending Kathrine to be here in your place."

"Roger that." Naomi turned and saluted the group. "See you crazies later. Best of luck." She ran off before I could even get a word in, leaving me with my mouth half through forming the word 'goodbye'.

"We don't need Kathrine," Steve said to the woman, looking serious. "We've got it under control."  
"Sorry, Captain Rogers, she's also coming here for her own safety. There are many good reasons for her to be here."

"Understood," he mumbled a bit.

"Do you have something against her?" I asked as soon as the agent had left. I thought back to him smashing the object she had given me, giving him a curious look. He sighed.

"It's not that. It's not her. It's her intentions."  
"And what are her intentions?" His jaw tightened. When he didn't answer, I sucked in a deep breath. "Then I'll just ask her myself when she gets here. I need to talk to her anyway. She has a lot of questions I need answered."

"What questions?"  
"A lot. None of them your concern." I felt bad being abrupt with him like this after all he had done for me, but if Kathrine knew something about me that I couldn't remember that took priority. I needed to figure myself out before I could even think about getting close with anyone else. Regaining my memories was my primary concern.

"Fine." Steve looked concerned, almost, but his facial expression was hard. Something in my chest tugged painfully with that look.

"Oh, here they are, hello!" An accented, soft voice called across the room, catching my attention. A small girl, looking barely over eighteen, trotted over to us. She was wearing a lab coat and big, clear goggles, a clipboard perched in her arms. "You must be Annabelle. My name is Jemma Simmons. Lucky me to be put at this base, because here you are! And all the Avengers. Which is completely baffling to me. Oh, I promised myself I wouldn't bother any of them...but.." Her eyes shifted over to Steve, who was examining her curiously. Her face reddened, deep in color suddenly like a tomato.

"What do you need with Annabelle?" he asked, keeping his face straight. She made a strange squeaking sound and tucked her light hair behind her ear.

"Not much, really, I was just told to come ask for her. Pretty sure it'll just be some blood tests, scans, things like that."

"Why?" I questioned, suddenly feeling defensive. I didn't really feel like getting poked and prodded right now.

"Oh, I...I'm not sure why. See, I'm new here...just finished my time at the academy, actually. They don't tell me much, just order me around. Tell me what to do and who to get and what not." She shifted her eyes around nervously, looking even younger.

"I guess I have time to kill," I said slowly. "Is this really necessary?"

"I'd assume so. I think they're just trying to be safe. They like to know everything about gifted people like yourself. And your file is surprisingly inconclusive. I only glanced at it, but it seemed pretty empty compared to some of the other files I've viewed. Not that I go around looking through files...no, no, that's not my job. That would be intrusive. Although I do get curious-"  
"Let's go get this done," I interrupted her, feeling a bit irritable. This one seemed to have a nervous talking problem, which I'd have dealt with politely if it wasn't for the pain pulsing through my legs with every second she wasted babbling.

"I'll come," Steve said.

"Oh, I'm sure that won't be necessary. In fact, they did ask for her alone. Surely you understand, Captain Rogers. Steve. ...Captain Rogers." She visibly swallowed, sweat beading on her forehead. She looked back at me, taking a deep breath and smiling gingerly. "Off we go, then."

"Right." I followed her as she scurried off through on of the side doors, giving a half wave to Steve over my shoulder as I did. He was looking more and more peeved by the second, which I was actually glad to get away from. It was very clear he didn't exactly trust all that SHIELD was, and knew something about what they had planned for me that he wasn't fond of. I didn't want to know what those plans were. As far as I was concerned, they could do anything to me, anything at all, and it wouldn't be worse than what I had gone through with my father back at home. I still felt conflicted on where I should go after all of this was over, whether I should take up the offer to join them or go back home where I surely belonged. Some part of me was hoping that the answer would come to me loud and clear if I just waited for it.

"Just in here, please." Simmons ushered me into a large medical room, several nurses standing by, doing their work quietly. I was shown to a bed hidden behind a white curtain, sitting myself up on it and trying not to take notice of the many tools and needles they had laying on a nearby table. Simmons left my side and hurried out of the room, still clutching her clipboard, saying she was going to get someone more certified for the job. I didn't bother asking about what that 'job' was.

It took several minutes for someone else to show up, a tall man with dark skin and a kind smile.

"Now, don't worry," he said as he pulled the curtain back into place, looking over a few of the intimidating tools to my side, "we're not doing anything extensive. You're just such an anomaly...and we're so excited to finally have you here to do some tests."

"Finally?" I asked, wondering how fast word had spread about me. Hadn't it only been a few weeks since the accident? I supposed with SHIELD, when it came to people with new abilities, word traveled fast.

"You've been so out of reach, and we've never had the chance to really look into what makes you tick. Excuse me if I sound a little too excited. Scientists like me obsess over this stuff. Well, I'm sure you know. Your father has done some great work in the field." I furrowed my brow, sitting up a bit more on my bed.

"He's really not that big of a deal," I said, somewhat spitefully. Clearly, though word had spread about me, no one seemed to realize just how much of an ass my father was. Then again, he was good at charming. He had me believing whatever he wanted me to for nearly twenty four years of my life. Even admitting to myself that he was a jerk seemed wrong.

"I've heard he does have a temper. I suppose you've seen more of that than the rest of us," the man continued, walking over and very suddenly jabbing a needle into my arm. I flinched, but he didn't seem apologetic. "He really has done some great things, though. And how he managed you...that's been truly amazing."

"Managed?" I asked, my irritation growing more intense. The man ignored me.

"And we've been dying to get our hands on you since you were young, but Kathrine insisted we should let you be. She never has been a fan of science. It's a shame."

"What do you mean 'since I was young'?" I winced as he pulled the needle into my arm, then stuck another one in. He sure seemed to be taking a lot of blood, but I didn't notice much. This man, like Kathrine and the others, knew something about me that I did not. Why would I have been interesting at a young age? Hadn't I only just become interesting? "Hello?" I leaned closer to him, wondering if he had even heard me. It appeared that he didn't because he still didn't answer, only sticking another needle in the place of the last one. I clenched my teeth.

"That's enough," a familiar voice demanded, and after a moment Kathrine ripped back the curtain and glared at the man. "Let her go. You've taken more than enough. Get out of here."  
"Yes, ma'am," he said, pulling the final needle out of my skin and packing the last bottle into a little case he had brought with him. He closed it and gave her a strange smile before leaving the two of us. It had all happened so fast that my brain was still processing what had happened. Did Kathrine have that much authority? With the enthusiasm of that scientist, I was sure it would take a lot of arguing to get him away from me.

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Kathrine asked, examining my arm, which was already bruising from the rough handling.

"No, I'm fine." I looked at her, curious.

"Good, good. I told him not to do anything before I got here. Scientists are so impatient and greedy." She made a somewhat disgusted face, examining the remaining tools that the man had left. "They're always trying to get blood from me. They're always doing their stupid little tests, trying to learn more about things that are impossible to understand." She turned her dark eyes to me finally, smiling softly. "It's good to see you again."  
"I...wish I could say the same. But I'm honestly really confused," I responded slowly. She nodded once.

"As you should be. I'm sorry it's taken this long to get you to a place where we can talk. And, actually, let's not talk here. There's a nice lounge a few doors away from here, if you'd like." She offered her hand, which I hesitantly took to pull myself up off the bed. Once again I felt that there was something so familiar about Kathrine, and I found myself trusting her more than I'd trusted anyone here at SHIELD so far. So, I let her lead me to the lounge without a single complaint.

"Ask me anything," she said as soon as we sat dow]n. There were so many questions I needed answers to that I didn't even know where to begin.

"How do I know you?" I asked, starting somewhere slow before I delved into the deeper questions.

"I'm your case worker. Every gifted individual has one. Usually you're assigned a non-gifted case worker, but this was a...special circumstance. My abilities make me useful for these sorts of things."

"How long have you been my case worker?"

"Around twelve or thirteen years, I think."

"Which means I was gifted before the accident." I held my breath, looking at her. The silence between the few seconds it took her to respond was agonizing.

"Yes."

[Hi guys! First off, I wanted to apologize for no update this last Saturday. I was having a bit of a personal setback. But, hopefully the chapter today makes up for it. Expect a chapter this Saturday as well. Hopefully we'll get back on track. Second, I wanted to ask you guys something: is everything here making sense? I have the entire plot in my head, but I was feeling a bit skeptical about how it was coming across in writing. In the next chapter more things about Annabelle will be explained, but until then, does everything here flow alright? I just wanted to make sure no one was confused. Thank you all so much for reading! I appreciate every one of you. Have a lovely day!]


	26. Chapter 26

This shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did, considering that I had suspected something like this after hearing all of the strange comments everyone made about me, but something in me was so shocked that I suddenly felt sick. So it was true. I'd possessed these strange abilities of mine for a long time, and they weren't a result of the explosion. In fact, it was probably due to my abilities that I even survived the explosion in the first place. But something caused me to forget them, and I had a strong feeling it was something my father did.

"How?" I asked slowly, quietly, trying desperately to pull up a memory of my abilities from before. I wasn't successful.

"You were born with them. The way we've heard it, your mother was struck by lightning when you were in the womb. There hasn't been any real evidence that the lightning truly was what caused it, though. Many have thought maybe you were a mutant, and Professor Xavier should be called. Some insist that it was the lighting. Some assume you're inhuman. But no one is quite sure."

"What do you think?"

"I think you're very special. And deserve to be treated as such. When I heard about you, I openly volunteered to be your case worker. No one was really sure about it until your first incident. Then everyone seemed happy to put me on the case."

"Incident?" I swallowed. Kathrine nodded her head slowly.

"You had a few stability issues. Parts of you that you couldn't control. You put one of your father's paid workers in the hospital after getting upset. SHIELD decided it was best for me to step in, then."

"I put them in the hospital?" A large lump formed in my throat, and I began to feel even sicker. Kathrine looked at me sympathetically.

"It was an accident. Not your fault."

"What exactly are your abilities, Kathrine?" I sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep myself collected. She shifted her eyes down for a moment.

"Minor mind control. I believe that's what they have me listed as."

"So…you…"

"Yes. I was the one who took away your memories. At the time we all thought it best. An opportunity arose and we took it."

"What opportunity?" I said through clenched teeth, my heart skipping and shuddering against my chest.

"About a year and a half ago there was an invasion on the Earth by a race known as the Chitauri. You may remember that. But you were actually in New York at the time, with your father. He fought with us to bring you along. He insisted that you would be okay when we expressed our concern for having you in the city. Eventually, he won the battle. So, you were in the wrong place when the invasion happened. You were pretty badly damaged in the battle…we were a little busy at the time, so no one is really sure what happened to you exactly. Your father flew you back to Japan pretty quickly. He told us that this was the perfect opportunity to make you normal. He had something he designed that was supposed to stunt your abilities, which apparently you were too strong for when you were healthy. He put that in your chest, where your heart is supposed to be. That's why you have that scar. He called me in a few days after he put it in and had me wipe your memories. He wanted it so that you wouldn't feel your abilities or be able to use them at all, but he also wanted to make sure you didn't miss them. It was a perfect plan. And it was working wonderfully until your home suddenly went up in flames." She turned her eyes to me, a somewhat amused look on her face. "You did that, didn't you?"

"I was tired of him…" I mumbled, feeling numb from all of the information. She laughed under her breath, faintly.

"The explosion damaged the device he put in place of your heart. That's how you could suddenly feel your abilities again."  
"That's why I thought the explosion caused them. I had no prior memory of them because of what you took away."

"That's correct."

"So this thing…in my chest…can it be removed? What happens if we take it out?" I placed a hand over the sweater, over the spot where I knew that large, ugly scar was located.

"If it is successfully removed…there's a possibility you'll fully regenerate and be much stronger than you are now. Which could be dangerous."

"Is that why they sent Naomi to be with us at the base? To subdue me if I got out of control?" I thought back to Naomi showing up out of the blue, the secret meetings they had without me, how at first she seemed very cautious of me.

"Yes. Naomi is quick, and knows exactly where to hit someone to be able to shut them down. She's a great asset. They figured she could handle it if things got out of control."  
"So in short…I'm a dangerous thing that no one can figure out and I need to be watched." I looked up at her, once again trying not to get emotional.

"It's not exactly like that, Annabelle…and now that you're here and the Avengers seem to want you around, we could do some work on you and make you feel more in control. We'll help you."

"Have I ever killed anyone?" She hesitated as I watched her, balling up my pants in my fists.

"…would you like your memories back? You'll have all your answers. That device I gave you before you left for the base was supposed to enlighten you, but I guess you lost it somewhere along the way."

"Steve broke it."  
"Ah, yes, well. He does seem to want to keep you in the dark."

"But why—" Tony flopped onto the couch next to me, crossing his arms.

"Ladies."

"Stark," Kathrine replied. I ran a hand through my tangled hair, leaning back a bit. I felt like my head was going to explode from all of this information.

"The suits are done, Annabelle. Best get out there and try yours on. One of the agents will show you the way. I'll stay here a bit and have a chat with Miss Zindel." He looked over at Kathrine, who narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I'm getting my memories back first," I said, looking at her as well. "Right?"

"Another time, kiddo. Go on," Tony asserted. I took in a deep breath, glaring at him.

"No. I'm getting them back. Right now."

"Look, Cap is going to blow up at me if I let you do this. So, another time. When you can't get me in trouble with mister McAngry-pants."

"He doesn't decide what I do. We're not even friends. I don't even know him. He has no say in my life," I snapped, turning again to Kathrine. "Please." She bit her lip.

"Mr. Stark, please go stand in that corner," she ordered. Tony abruptly stood up and did as she said, resting his forehead against the wall. It was clear that saying Kathrine had 'minor' mind control was a complete understatement; Tony was as stubborn as stubborn gets, and she didn't even have to move a finger to make him do whatever she wanted. A bit of fear coursed through me as I realized this, but I stood before her anyway.

"I'm sorry for taking what was yours. You may decide that you want me to take the memories back, however, after you have experienced them. I won't. Do you understand?" She gave me a serious look. I let my eyes shut for a moment, taking a few seconds to think before nodding my head.

"I want this. I need them back. I need to know who I am."

"Then open your eyes and look at me." I did so, meeting those dark eyes of hers. Upon closer inspection they seemed to have a hint of dark red hidden in them, deep like blood. Though her eyes seemed so average all of the past times I had looked at her, they now seemed different. Extraordinary. Pools of dark color swirled around the black of her pupils. I was so mesmerized that I suddenly felt as if I never wanted to look away, just stare into her eyes forever. The rest of her room, even the rest of her face, became irrelevant. I felt like I was floating, hovering alone, in a place devoid of time or space, Kathrine's eyes being the only thing keeping me from drifting away completely. Then, like a rush of strong wind, memories flooded through my mind. They were suffocating, screams and whispers and music ringing through my ears all at once, a million different smells and sights bombarding my senses. I felt like I was being squeezed and thrown around, people yelling my name, pleading, crying. I heard my mother, singing something quietly in Russian; I heard my father laughing; I heard my heart beating a million beats a minute. Colors rushed past me, blinding me. I felt so detached from my body, like everything I knew and everything I was slipped right out from under me and flew away.

Then, just as quickly as everything had started, it ended. It was so abrupt that I lost my footing, falling back onto the hard floor. The simple room Kathrine and I had been talking in suddenly seemed so drastically different. Even Tony, still standing in the corner, seemed like a completely different person. My head ached, sweat dripping from my forehead, tears rolling down my cheeks. I felt a rush of color as Steve ran in, his hair a mess.

"Annabelle!" he yelled, but it was too late.


	27. Chapter 27

_My name is Annabelle Sawyer Green. I'm twenty one years old. I live in Japan, currently. My father is a scientist, one who does a lot of good work in the medical field. My mother passed away years ago, most likely due to my hand. I have these abilities that cause me to see things differently, but they're a little unstable, you see. I never mean to hurt anyone. I realize none of this matters to you, though. And honestly I know that you won't even read this, so it doesn't even matter that I'm writing it. I haven't tried to write a letter like this in a while. I used to do it when I was little, you know. Before they found you in the ice. You were just a historical figure to me then. I found you in some old comics and fliers that my grandmother had hidden in her basement. Of course, she had them because she hated you. She was an active Hydra member back in the day, during the war. Strange that I ended up liking you so much after having such an opposite side of influence. I'm glad I found you. It's not that I'm lonely, though, really. My father has events. A lot of them. Sponsor parties, he calls them. I entertain the guests, who rave about my looks and my smarts and tell me how lucky I am to have such a great man as a father. 'Your father's medicine saved my wife's life,' one man told me. I'm grateful. But I do wish that some of my father's enthusiasm would be directed towards me. He doesn't particularly like me. It's understandable; I'm dangerous. I've done a few things I'm not proud of. You'd think me horribly corrupt if I told you all of them. I'm the complete opposite of someone you would actually like. I'm German, I have Nazi and Hydra ties, I honestly sleep around a lot (which I am definitely not proud of), and I'm not sure I believe in God. You probably wouldn't give me a second look. But, as I'm sure you've stopped reading by now, I want you to know what you mean to me. For many years I've used you, the idea of you, to stand up to my father when he's being unjust. I've used you to express myself instead of shutting up and staying quiet like I'm often supposed to. You give me hope and you give me courage. I especially admire you now that you've been thrown into a new world so different from your own, yet you've stayed mentally intact. At least, that's what my caseworker told me. She says she knows you. I'm wondering if I gave this letter to her, if she would deliver it. Maybe I don't want it delivered. I just like to talk to someone, even if they don't talk back. Besides, this serves as a nice opportunity to practice writing my English. I've had a great teacher. And, wouldn't you believe it, he's someone who has the same odd abilities as me. Funny what a small world Earth actually is. Although, I'm sure for you right now it seems much bigger than what you remember. Technology can do that to you. Don't worry, it gives me a headache too. All those electrical currents roaming around in the air have to be harming the human population in some way, don't you think?_

_Best regards,_  
_Annabelle_

_Summer, 2012_  
I tucked the letter into a new envelope, sealing it shut and tucking it into my bag. My father and I were going out into Tokyo this afternoon to get a few more supplies before boarding the plane to New York the next day for a convention that he had been invited to. I'd never been on a plane, nor had I ever been to New York, so the trip seemed like an exhilarating experience. I could hardly wait. My case worker, Kathrine, was coming over later in the day to check on me, make sure I was of sound mind before getting on the flight. She was always kind to me, so I didn't mind her intentions when she visited. SHIELD, an organization that dealt with extraordinary people like me, sent her once every month to check in on me and make sure I was behaving myself. When I was younger she visited less often, but since I was seventeen they started watching me like a hawk.  
It was my own fault. Seventeen was a bad year for me. Not only was it the fifth anniversary of my mother's death, but it was also the year that my father began having his 'sponsor parties', where drunk men over the age of forty would grope at me and try to have their way with me. The first man who tried this, a short, loud man named Seth Hughes, ended up dead. But, in all honesty, I didn't feel very bad about it. My father did, however, as did SHIELD. There was a crazy cover-up story to protect me and get me off the radar as much as possible. I think 'Death by over-intoxication' was the final word put out on his _unfortunate _demise. He was the trigger that started such a horrible year. Because I couldn't fight back at the risk of hurting anyone else, I was _expected _to let the many drunken assholes have their way with me. They did what they wanted, I didn't get in trouble.  
I scooped my phone off my desk, noticing the little blue light that flashed in the corner. Voicemail. I dialed '1' and held the phone up to my ear while shoving a few extra things into my suitcase.  
"Hey, Annie, I heard you're going to New York in a few days. That'll be fun, eh? It's a nice place. I grew up around there. Did I ever tell you that? Of course it was a much different place back then. I haven't been there recently. You'll have to tell me what you think, alright? I just wanted to wish you a safe trip. Call me when you land? I'll always answer, as usual. Alright, see you!" The phone clicked and the automated female voice took over. I tossed the phone on my bed and stuffed a stray sock in my luggage. That was Clive Willow. He was an old friend of mine, and the one who had taught me all I know about English, as well as my abilities. At the ripe old age of eighty, Clive still looked like he was in his mid-twenties, his curly hair still deep black with not a gray in sight. He suspected that I wouldn't age much either, once I got old enough. Some side effect to the abilities, apparently. He'd been one of my best friends for the longest time, though recently I'd seen less and less of him. My father hired him for English, and wasn't happy that he was also teaching me things about my powers. My father _hated _my powers. All for good reason, though. Though we really didn't know what the ultimate cause of my mother's death was, it was highly suspected that my powers had something to do with it, like some radiating effect that was just too much for her. My heart twinged in pain every time I thought about it, a lump almost immediately rising in my throat. I often wished it had been my father. My mother had been so pure and accepting, and my father was the complete opposite. I would do anything to go back and save her.  
"Your caseworker is here," my father said, lightly knocking his fist against my doorframe. I nodded and glanced at the bag to my side, knowing my letter was nestled inside. It was addressed to the one and only Captain America, a silly crush of mine that I'd held onto for years and years. I hesitated before pulling the letter out of the bag and leaving the room to go meet Kathrine. I was going to give it to her.

_'__Something is wrong,' _I typed, hitting send. I had told Clive I would keep him updated on the trip via text, which I had been doing faithfully since I arrived. Today was day seven of the convention, and the twenty fifth day that I'd been in New York. I'd already thrown up three times today, something that I very rarely did. There was something strange about the sky, some pulsing energy that was making me sick. Maybe it was all of the buildings and radio waves that I wasn't used to.  
'_What are you feeling?' _Clive responded.  
'_I just feel sick. And the sky looks an awful shade.'_  
_ '__Have you told anyone?'_  
_ '__Yeah, I tried to tell my father, but he won't listen. No one here will. You'd think with all these science freaks here at least one of them would be interested in an anomaly like this.'_  
_ '__Science freaks? Watch it. I'm one of those.'_  
_ '__You know what I mean.' _I set my phone down, glancing out at the clear sky once more. With my human sight it looked normal, a lovely shade of blue. But with my other sight, I could feel that it was very off color, especially in one particular, circular spot.  
"I'm going outside," I told my father, who didn't seem to hear me. He was busy with a man and woman who had made their way to his booth, explaining the complicated but rewarding process to how he discovered his latest breakthrough. I moved past the many people and exited the building. Even the streets were packed with people, much to my discomfort. I wasn't used to so many people in one place, all bustling around and brushing past me, some with exasperated or irritated looks plastered on their faces. Everyone seemed to be absorbed in their own private worlds, too busy to even give me a look. One man did, however, and whistled loudly at me from his car. I gave him a disgusted look and pushed past a few people to get away from him. I wandered along the street until I decided to look up again, my eyes falling on the grand, lit up building that was Stark Tower. Sparks flew up my spine in excitement. I'd always wanted to get a good look at the tower. I was a fan of Tony Stark, more or less. My father wasn't, however.  
A strange sound rattled through the streets, tearing people's eyes away from their phones and catching my attention. I shifted my eyes up to find that the circular place in the sky that had been discolored was now a visible hole in the, ripping open and exposing a stretch of space that definitely should not have naturally been visible. My stomach lurched and I ducked against the nearest building, feeling a little safer with my back against the brick as I watched the disturbance. The people around me didn't run like I thought they would. Curiosity got the best of them, as it often got the best of me, and they could do nothing but stare upwards with their mouths agape. Then, very suddenly, figures began to emerge from the rip in the sky, strange creatures riding strange vehicles that caused an outburst from the people in the streets around me. Curiosity was lost. Everyone fled, screaming in all directions as the creatures descended, raising their weapons menacingly. I couldn't move. My back still pressed against the building, all I could do was stare with wide eyes, taking in the scene. I stayed perfectly still until a larger creature crashed into several cars, its size baffling. One of the cars burst into flames near me as the creature slashed its great arm across it, sending me off in a different direction. I didn't know where to go, what to do, or what even to think. I followed the crowds as they flocked towards the buildings, trying desperately to get away from the horrors that came from the sky. I tried to keep my mind clear, focused on not getting too overexcited so that I didn't hurt anyone around me. I tended to release sparks when I got too upset or afraid, and no one needed that right now.  
I got pushed to the side as a man barreled past me, shoving me away so that he could easier get to the door. I lost my footing with the push and fell hard onto the street, scraping my elbows against the asphalt. All of the screams and shouts of terror were making my head pulse with pain. I could _feel _all of the fear and panic coming off of every individual of the crowded streets that passed me, everything so overwhelming. _Keep it together. Focus. Deep breaths. _I inhaled and pulled myself off the ground, looking around to see if I could be of any use. I didn't fear death. If there was anything I could do to help someone else in need, I would do it. I set off in the opposite direction that people were running, trying not to freak myself out every time one of the alien creatures soared overhead on their strange, flying vehicles. I helped a few people out of their cars, picked a few up off the ground, did all I could think to do without panicking. The aliens were on the streets now, pillaging cars and street lights and anything else they could get their clawed hands on.  
A shrill scream stood out above the others, and I looked around until I spotted one of the creatures with a spear through the windshield of a sedan, a woman trapped inside. Pushing my fear aside I leaped over the car in front of me, jumping from there onto the next car until I came to the woman. Without thinking I rammed into the alien, knocking the both of us to the ground. When it tried to resist and fight back I gave it a good electrical shot, waiting until the creature's energy had gone dark and its body still before I turned back to the woman. I ripped the door off of her car and took her hand, helping her out and pushing her towards the direction where the others were still running.  
"No! Jillian!" she screamed, fighting me. I looked back at the car, realizing that there was a small person sitting in the back seat, her internal energy bright with fear. I pushed the mother again and went back for her, breaking the window and pulling her out. She was a small girl, with bright red hair and wide hazel eyes that stared at me with wonder as I ran her to the sidewalk, where her mother was in hysterics.  
"Go!" I yelled, in German, when they didn't move. The mother grabbed her daughter's small hand and ran off, ducking into the nearest building. I turned back to look for more people. The streets now seemed pretty barren, almost eerie, though I could still hear screams and panic coming from another area. Deciding to head to a different street, I took off running. I didn't make it far, however, before one of the horrifying, large beasts tore around the corner of the nearest building, colliding with the walls and shattering the windows. Ahead of it, seemingly leading it, was a small, red, human shaped suit. Iron Man. I held my breath and watched as he curved around the next corner, the beast on his tail-  
Something hit my chest, knocking the wind out of me for a brief second. It took me a moment to realize what had happened, and it didn't truly sink in until I tilted my head down to see the pointed edge of an alien spear protruding from my chest. My shirt had become soaked with thick blood, my mouth suddenly dry. The creature from behind me, who had a firm grip on the staff, gave it a great swing up and to the side, flinging me around while I was too shocked to move. I hit the side of a car as it tossed me here and there. Pushing myself back on the spear, ignoring the excruciating pain, I grabbed at the head of the alien holding it. I mustered up all my strength and yelled out as I released a powerful shock from my fingertips, sucking the life out of it. It fell and I followed after, the spear still lodged through my chest. I could feel that my heart had stopped beating, though my abilities kept me moving, at least for now. I tried to push the spear out, blood covering my quivering hands as I cried and whined and pushed with all my strength. I didn't have enough. I was never enough.  
This is how I died.

_Present Day_  
_(Late Winter/Early Spring, 2014)_

"I swear, I don't know what happened," Tony explained, desperate, pulling a hand through his dark hair. Steve stood before him, arms crossed and looking livid. Kathrine had since escaped the room, leaving me alone in an armchair.  
"I know what happened. You just stood there and let Annabelle suffer. That's what you did. And look, now she's basically unresponsive. Can't you think about someone else for a change?"  
"I swear, Cap, listen. I was here, saying Annabelle should leave and go try her suit on, and then nothing. I blacked out. I can't remember a thing."  
"Hard to believe."  
"Okay, well, why did you send me here anyway? You could have stormed in and gotten all pissy about Annabelle like you have been doing, and we wouldn't be having this conversation. Do something for yourself. Don't send me to do your crap."  
"I didn't send you to do anything. I mentioned I was worried and you set off on your own. Like you always do. Have to go save the day before anyone else can."  
"Oh, is that what you think? That I'm an ego hound?"  
"That's exactly what I think."  
"Stop fighting," I said softly, the two of them turning to stare at me.  
"Annabelle…" Steve made his way over, Tony following close behind. "Are you okay?"  
"I remember."  
"See, this is a good thing," Tony said, but the glare Steve gave him made him shut up.  
"So you're not okay, then," he said. I took a deep breath.  
"How did you know? How _much _do you know?"  
"Well, I hacked some of your files when you first showed up at my tower, so he knows that," Tony commented, getting another angry look.  
"Leave, Stark," Steve hissed, Tony looking a little taken aback.  
"Yeah, alright. Geez. Angry. Don't know what crawled in your pants and bit you when you were sleeping."  
"Is that even a real phrase?" I asked in a whisper. He didn't answer, only holding his hands up in surrender and backing out.  
"Still come try on your suits after your little pow-wow, okay?" He waved and quickly headed off down the hall, leaving the two of us alone. Steve sat across from me, too big for the small armchair he'd decided to sit in.  
"I got your letter," he said. I shook my head, looking at my hands.  
"You couldn't have. My father didn't send any of them." I looked back up. "It's embarrassing you even know about that. Did someone tell you?"  
"No, I got one. Didn't you get my response?" he asked. I blinked, trying to clear the fog that still lingered in my eyes.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Kathrine gave me a letter. After I…woke up. Wasn't too long after I woke up, I guess. Few months. I was going through a rough time. It was just before I actually became a part of the Avengers, so I had nothing to do but wander around a city that I no longer recognized. I thought it was so strange, getting a letter. Didn't seem like anyone really sent letters anymore. But you did. You gave me something to do, something to think about. I wrote you back and told Kathrine to give it to you."  
"I never got it," I choked out, heart thumping. No. Not my heart. The machine that my father had forced into my body to change who I was. I clutched at the fabric over my chest, staring at him.  
"I didn't think much about it after I sent my response. That's when the invasion happened, so, I was understandably. Truthfully, I didn't think of you again until Tony called me in the middle of the night and said someone had broken into his tower. He sent me your files that he hacked from the SHIELD database. I knew I'd seen your name somewhere. It took me a while to realize you were the same girl. But once I did, I felt like I had some obligation to protect you. You came to me in your time of need, when I was irrelevant to modern society, and before anyone even knew I'd come back. You reached out to me for help, and I couldn't give it to you. Now I can." I nodded as he finished, looking down at my hands. I still felt sick, though there was some sense of peace within me. I knew who I was. What I was. Though most of it wasn't pleasant, I didn't regret begging Kathrine to bring my memories back. And, now, everything was making sense. Steve's actions. Everyone's unease. It all had a reason.  
"I appreciate you trying to keep me from remembering. I understand your intentions."  
"I just didn't want you to hurt. I thought maybe if you didn't remember that you'd be able to just live your life without those things in your past. And I only know so much. I'm sure there's more that you remember that you wish you didn't. I realize now it was stupid of me not to see that you felt incomplete without remembering. I guess I would feel the same way."  
"I know who I am now. This is better."  
"Is it?"  
"Yes." I stared at him, keeping my face straight, still clutching my shirt as if it was going to keep me grounded. My thoughts made me feel like I was going to float right off.  
"…now you're talking to me like I'm a stranger," he said quietly.  
"Aren't you?"  
"I don't want to be." His blue eyes bore into mine, and that sensation that I was going to float away only got stronger. I held my breath.  
"...and I don't want you to be. I just don't know how to get close to you. With everyone else it seems so natural. I don't understand why…with you…" I bit down on my lip, not sure what to focus my eyes on.  
"We'll work on it. Okay?" He stood and offered his hand out to me, pulling me up. I nodded, a faint, flustered smile on my lips.  
"Okay."


	28. Chapter 28

"So, what's your story?" Tony asked, pulling a covered bag with a hanger poking from the top out of one of the closets. We were in a small SHIELD storage room, where Tony had stored all of the suits after finishing them.  
"What, don't you already know? You knew more about me than _I _knew about me when I got here," I replied, taking the bag from him as he handed it over. I was excited to see what the suit looked like. I was still processing the fact that I had my own suit to begin with.  
"There really isn't much on your file that SHIELD has. I was disappointed when I acquired it."  
"'Acquired'."  
"Hacked, stole, whatever." He crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. "So, of course, I'm very curious to know what the rest of your life was like."  
"Well, I've always had my abilities," I started.  
"I did know that. That was in the file."  
"Why don't you just tell me what you know, and I'll fill in the rest."  
"Well I know they don't really know where you came from, or why. Which bugs me. Everything has an explanation. And I know that you've killed someone. And I know your family heritage. That's…really about it."  
"Well, there's not really much to fill in. That's pretty much it. Surprised they didn't label me as a 'psychopathic and deadly freak of nature', though."  
"SHIELD is pretty professional with their entries. I, however, definitely would have put that in there."  
"Thanks, Tony."  
"So. Why'd you kill the guy?" He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. I sighed, running my hand over my bagged suit.  
"He tried to take advantage of me. He scared me, and I reacted."  
"You don't sound very remorseful."  
"Trust me, I still feel guilty about it. I knew nothing about him. Maybe he had a family back home. Maybe people missed him. I just…couldn't control myself," I explained, keeping my eyes on the bag. I wished it was see-through, so I could at least get a glimpse of what my new suit looked like. Unfortunately for me, though, the bag was black.  
"We all make mistakes, Green."  
"Yeah, but my mistakes are always going to be deadly. Which means I can't afford to make any." I swallowed. "…you know, my mother's death…it was…it could have been my fault. She was sick, but no one ever knew what with. The stronger I got, the weaker she was. I was just a little girl, but…I could have easily…"  
"Hey, stop. Don't beat yourself up. Like I said, mistakes happen. And sometimes those mistakes are our worst nightmares. Unfortunately, that's the life we live. Especially in your case, we were given something spectacular, but everything has consequences. Everything."  
"That actually didn't make me feel better at all," I mumbled. He simply shrugged his shoulders.  
"So you killed a guy for trying to feel you up. I take it you were a very good girl, then? I peg you as that type."  
"Oh, no, definitely not."  
"No?" He raised his eyebrow again, a smirk forming on his lips.  
"No no no. I mean I tried to be. But, no. There were a _lot_ of people that came to my father's little parties. Interesting people. Yes, at first, it terrified me to be in contact with other people. I knew who I wanted to be, and I had all my silly plans about finding 'the one' before I did anything, just like most little girls do. But it got increasingly harder to stay true to that as I got older, especially when I really wasn't happy. On top of that, I was terrified of getting upset at anyone else who tried to touch me after what happened to the first guy. So I just…let things happen. It's different for me, you know. Sex. Not only does it have the normal appeal, but I can _see_ feelings. _Feel _other people's feelings. It was kind of…a comfort. If my partner for the night ended up leaving happy, a little bit of that happiness rubbed off on me. It made things bearable," I trailed off, clearing my throat. I hadn't really intended on telling anyone all of this, but as soon as Tony asked it all slipped out. I knew how some people felt about girls like me. For some, I'd be viewed as disgusting; a whore. But this was different. _I _was different. I was already an anomaly because of my abilities, and it was because of those abilities that I gave in.  
"I _definitely _want to hear more about this. In detail," Tony said finally, that grin only widening on his face. I let out a breath of relief. Of course I knew who Tony was, what he engaged in, but some part of me was still scared what he would think. Men had that stupid hypocritical standard that they were allowed to sleep with anyone they wanted, but a woman who did the same was shamed. Clearly, this was not the case with Tony.  
"That's all the details I'm giving you. I don't know what more you want. Jeez," I muttered, though I could feel a smile creeping up on my lips.  
"What about your abilities? Learn anything new about those?"  
"Well, I learned that the way I was trying to use them was all wrong. My motions were choppy. The correct way to best channel energy is with fluid movements, like moving your hands through water. Like this." I held my hands out in front of me, one cupped in the other, then slowly pulled my fingers out, rotating my wrists until tiny lit up strands of light blue energy seeped from my fingertips and wrapped around each other. Tony stared, his eyes glued to the artful display until it dissipated.  
"So, it's not exactly electricity, then. It's something broader?" he asked. I nodded my head once.  
"Electricity is the best interpretation we have for visible energy. That's why I spark, or why sometimes when I use my abilities it gives the appearance of lightning. But it isn't just that. There's so much more to it."  
"Banner is going to love that. He'll be all over trying to figure you out when he has the time." He gave me an amused look and turned around to pull out another bagged suit. "You should go try that on."  
_Finally,_ I thought, holding the suit closer to me. I waved goodbye with my free hand and booked out of there, heading to the nearest bathroom where I could change. This SHIELD facility was similar enough to the one we had been to before, and it was only a short matter of time before I found a single bathroom and slipped in. Once I had pulled shut and locked the door I laid the bag out, holding my breath for a moment before pulling it off to reveal the suit.  
It was made of a black, form fitting material, a zipper down the middle that zipped all the way up to the bottom of the chin. All across the chest and arms were jagged light blue markings, which also decorated the legs and lower abdomen. Tony had already given me the shoes to match: a pair of nearly knee high boots laced up with the same light blue laces. As I held up the suit a pair of black gloves fell out onto the floor. Too excited to wait any longer, I stripped off the clothes I was wearing and pulled the suit on, lacing up the boots and snapping the gloves into place before getting a good look at myself in the mirror. Though I could only see from the waist up I could tell everything was perfect, made just for me. For the first time, I looked like I fit in. I looked like I belonged with the Avengers. And I had to do everything in my power to keep from screaming with excitement.  
I zipped the suit up, though not all the way to my chin just yet, and headed back out to show Tony his work. Steve and Natasha were in the room when I returned, all suited up in outfits that very closely resembled what I had seen them wear before, though Steve's was a much darker shade than his normal red-white-and-blue look. The only bright thing on his suit was a star on each of his shoulders, which kept the original bright American flag colors. Natasha's suit was plain and black, though I could vaguely make out a black widow spider on the lower back of the suit. Of course, they both looked damn good.  
"Everything fit alright?" Tony asked before turning and giving me a once over. I nodded, a smile on my face.  
"It's perfect. Thank you," I said.  
"I'll be honest, Natasha helped with the design a lot. I'm better at designing metal suits than anything else," he admitted. I looked over at Natasha, who met me with a smile.  
"Thank you, Natasha."  
"No problem."  
"And, I must say, I like this look a _whole _lot better than what you had going on before," Tony commented, looking me over once again.  
"…Tony." Steve muttered, shaking his head a little. I glanced over at him.  
"What, are you saying you prefer what I had on before?" I asked. He blinked a few times, keeping his eyes glued to my face.  
"…no. This is nice. You look nice. This is fine," he muttered.  
"That's what I thought," I said. Tony let out a muffled laugh, a hand clapped over his mouth. Natasha rested her hands on her hips.  
"Glad to meet the real you, Annabelle," she commented with a smirk. I brushed my hair back with one hand, shrugging my shoulders a little.  
"Yeah, well…"  
"Let's get to the others and start thinking of a plan," Steve cut in, clearing his throat.  
"After you, Cap," Tony nodded. Steve headed out, the rest of us following behind.

**  
"Here's the plan," Steve started, looking around the room, "We get back to New York and try to draw them in. If it's superpowers they want, we'll have to get as many gifted people as possible in one area. We'll have to make sure we can get them quickly to safety as soon as the plan works, so that we don't have to worry about any accidents. Once that's done, we'll go in and take out as many as we can, then try to find the source of where they're coming from. They came in on ships, so those vessels have to be somewhere. We need to find them and take them down. If that doesn't do the trick, we'll just need to keep fighting until the job is done. We're going to walk away from this victorious. We won't lose."  
"Nice pep talk, Cap," Tony chimed. Steve gave him a somewhat irritated look in response.  
"We'll all have earpieces as usual to speak to each other in case something goes wrong," he continued. Natasha slid over and handed me a small device, pointing to the center of her ear. I slipped the piece into place.  
"SHIELD is sending a few people to help," Clint added. "We won't be alone."  
"We'll have plenty fighting with us. I just hope we'll have enough." Steve rested his hands on his belt, looking around at everyone once more. "We'll leave here in a half an hour. Some other gifted allies are being contacted now and told where to go. With luck, we'll be finished with this by nightfall."  
"And if we aren't?" I asked.  
"Then we keep fighting until it's over."  
"I'll go get a jet ready," Tony said, leaving the room. I took a deep breath and tapped my fingers along my thigh, praying that everything would go as planned. I'd do whatever it took to help them win this fight, even if that did mean fighting all through the night. They'd fought alien threats before. I assumed they knew what they were in for.  
"Nervous for your first big mission?" Clint asked, standing beside me. I looked up and him, trying to force a smile.  
"Yeah, a little bit. I just hope I'll be enough to help."  
He snorted. "Please, if an old man like me can help out with a bow and arrow, you can do plenty. Trust me. You've got this."  
"Well, I appreciate your belief in me."  
"Clint, head out and try to get in touch with the base in New York," Steve said, joining us. "We need to make sure everything is ready before we get there. That way we can get started right away and get this over as quick as possible."  
"Got it." Clint patted my shoulder and started for the exit. "Remember what I said, Annabelle! Don't be nervous!" he called over his shoulder.  
"Okay..!" I responded, taking another deep breath as soon as he left.  
"You sure you're okay to do this?" Steve asked. I shifted my eyes to him.  
"Yeah, I think so."  
"If you're still not feeling well, no one would blame you if you wanted to sit out. You could go back to safety with the rest of the gifteds once we start."  
"But I already have the suit," I said with a smirk, then swallowed the small lump that had started to form in the back of my throat. "…I'll be okay. I want to do this.  
"You're sure?"  
"Yes. I'm sure. I'm more sure of this than I have been of anything else thus far. I want to help. I do."  
"But you'll let us know if you change your mind?"  
"Yes. I will." He nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. I shifted my feet a little, facing him more directly.  
"Can I ask you something?" I asked.  
"Sure."  
"Are you and Naomi together?" It had still been bothering me, even though they seemed to have disputed it by their actions. Why else would they have been so intimate back at the safe house?  
Steve gave me a strange, almost amused look.  
"Excuse me?"  
"I saw you two. Back at the safe house. You had your arms around her. And you did seem to insist on sharing a room with her. Honestly I'm just curious. If I stumbled upon a secret relationship that you're keeping from the others, I'll keep my mouth shut. I just want to know." I bit my lip at my last word, staring at his still confused face. After a moment, though, his face relaxed.  
"Oh, Annabelle, no. Naomi and I did a fair amount of training together just after the first invasion that brought us all together as a team. She'd show me things she knew about pressure points while I'd show her some of the older combat moves I was taught in the war. It became a habit. That's all that was back at the safe house. I actually had her in a chokehold. Nothing romantic about that." He smirked faintly, which was the most amused look I'd seen on his face for a while. "Trust me, Tony has suggested that many times. Naomi's a good gal, but she's way too much for me. Besides, a relationship isn't something I'm looking for. I'm way too busy for that."  
"Makes sense," I said quietly. "You are pretty busy, it seems."  
"Just saving the world as usual."  
"Well, that was a bit…a…uh…" I trailed off, trying to think of the word. It was a somewhat phallic word, I remembered, but I couldn't remember the actual phrase. It wasn't often I forgot English, but I suppose it had been too long of a day.  
"Cocky," Natasha called from the other side of the room, flashing her eyes over to us for a moment before looking back down at what appeared to be a tablet in her hands.  
"Yes, that. Cocky. You're being cocky," I pointed at him with a grin. He blinked.  
"…I was joking."  
"Sure, Steve," Natasha called again.  
"Now hold on a minute, Romanoff." He turned towards her, that smirk still on his face. It was nice to see everyone seemed so calm, even when we were about to head into battle. Maybe inside they were all just as worried as I was. Maybe they all had the nervous butterflies flapping around in their stomachs, building and building until it became hard to breathe. I was at that point, even though I was trying so hard not to show it. But it made me feel a bit better to at least pretend that they were feeling the same way.  
"Avengers, time to go," Tony's voice cut in, and it took me a moment to realize it was coming from the small device situated in my ear. This was it. This was the beginning of the fight. I could only hope it would end for me the way that my last alien battle had. This time I didn't have my father to rush me to surgery and 'fix' what had been destroyed. This time if I died, I would die for good.  
I left the room.

[Hi all. Want a visual on Annabelle's new suit? I did a really quick concept sketch here: art/Annabelle-TSD-Suit-564067137  
Let me know if for some reason the link doesn't work. Enjoy!]


	29. Chapter 29

hey guys! I wanted to apologize for no update yesterday. This next update is going to be a big one, and I just haven't been able to take the time to write it yet. I had my biggest midterm on Friday (for Literary Theory...yikes) and I have my Intermediate Japanese midterm on Monday and Tuesday. I don't know about you guys, but I get stressed out really easily and can't think creatively when I'm feeling that way. I'll start up the update on Tuesday afternoon, and you will hopefully still get your update next Saturday as well (which is Annabelle's birthday)!

Thank you for being so patient with me, and thanks for your continuous support! The story will continue soon!

PS: I want to also apologize for the ending of the last chapter, where I think I accidentally wrote that Annabelle hoped the battle _would _be the same as the last one she encountered...that is meant to say **wouldn't. **Sorry about that!


	30. Chapter 29 - Part One

"Don't be scared," I whispered to a small woman standing just beside me, her hands clutching to her bag. She'd had bright eyes and a cheerful smile when we first met her, but now that was long gone. Apparently she was from some sort of SHIELD 'gifted' list, as were many of the other people standing around me now. They had collected as many people on their list that were willing to be part of the plan to lure our alien infestation into one place, and a surprising amount of people actually showed up. These were average people, dressed in their everyday clothes, looking just as normal as anyone else who could have been passing down the streets. However, each one of them had at least one inhuman power, no matter how small it may be. Fury had found an empty warehouse and called for an evacuation over much of the city, leaving us with enough room to fight however many of the creatures showed up to face us while still keeping innocent people as safe as possible.

"No sign of them," Clint chimed through my earpiece. He was stationed at the top of Stark Tower, tasked with letting us know if the plan was working.

"Want me to scout around?" I asked, glancing towards the warehouse doors. Steve had stuck me in here to watch all the other gifted people, though I had a feeling he just wanted me to change my mind and choose to stay hidden in here while they all fought. There was a zero percent chance that was going to happen, though.

"Stay put," Steve called. I audibly sighed.

"What's wrong?" The woman beside be asked in a quiet voice, turning her big brown eyes towards me.

"Nothing. Don't worry." I smiled at her, and she gave me a faint one in return.

"—I don't understand why we have to sit here and let them do all the fighting," someone yelled from across the room, their words lined with irritation. "We can do just as much as they can!"

"Please calm down," I heard Bruce say, though his voice was low and nearly inaudible to me. I surveyed the room until I found the two, then left the shivering girl at my side and headed over to them. The young man Bruce was talking to was exasperated, his face nearly as red as the curly head of hair atop his head.

"You can't tell me what to do. I agreed to come here when stupid SHIELD called me because I was planning on getting in on some action!"

"Hey," I snapped, giving him a serious look. He turned his eyes to me, which were filled with unnecessary rage.

"And who are you? Why do you get to fight with them? You're just a nobody. You're not even an Avenger. What makes you different from me?" he spat.

"You want to help, I get it. And you might have something beneficial that you could do to help. But I have more experience with these things, though it still isn't much. I've been dealing with these things for over a week. I've seen what they can do. And I've seen that they can steal your abilities and use them against you, leave you powerless. Do you know how terrifying that is? I can kill someone in three seconds. I can fry brain cells. I can take everything that makes you who you are, your soul, your mind, and rip it clean out of you without even blinking. To know that one of those creatures can take that from me and use it against other people…that's scary. We've taken the precautions by having these suits made for us, to try to stop that from happening. You don't have a suit. You'd be putting all of us and yourself in more danger if you went out there than if you just cooperated. Imagine if you did go out there, and one of those things stole your abilities, then used them on one of the Avengers? What if your abilities killed one of them? Wouldn't you feel awful? Don't take that risk." I kept the serious look on my face as I spoke, and that rage slowly died down from within the man's eyes. He shifted his gaze away from me. I placed a hand gently on his shoulder, hoping the motion wouldn't make him lash out. He didn't move. "It's nothing against you. I'm sure you're fully capable. But I think the Avengers know what they're doing here. I was only lucky enough to get pulled along for the ride. If you can call that luck, I guess." He glanced at me once before shaking me off and retreating to the other side of the room, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"You handled that pretty well," Bruce commented quietly.

"I'm good with talking to people. Always have been," I responded, thinking back to all of my renewed memories of my father's gatherings, where I seemed to always be talking and persuading, winning people over. It seemed so strange to me that I could have forgotten everything, or, rather, been forced to forget. As much as I trusted Kathrine, a part of me would never be able to fully forgive what she had done to me. For years of my life I went without knowing who I was or why I felt so lost. It frightened me to think about how much damage she could really do if she tried.

"We've got one," Clint chimed over the earpiece.

"Just one?" Tony asked.

"One _ship_. Who knows how many are on that thing."

"Get everyone inside locked up and safe," Steve ordered, the order clearly directed at Bruce and I. We were the only ones left in the warehouse while the others went out to scout. I nodded at Bruce and set off towards the large, open doors of the warehouse, forcing them both shut behind me.

"Doors are shut," I said, closing my eyes for a moment. It had been so dark inside, but now that I was out the sun seemed horribly blinding.

"Putting the codes in now," Bruce responded over the earpiece. I heard a few twists and clicks as the mechanical system switched on, securing the warehouse. The system had been set up by Tony, and while I trusted Tony's abilities I couldn't help but worry if the security would be enough to keep the creatures out. At least the people inside weren't completely defenseless.

I turned my eyes towards the sky, looking around for any sign of the ship Clint had mentioned.

"Everything is secure. Keep me updated," Bruce said.

"Sure thing," Tony responded. I tore my eyes from the sky and started off down the empty street, a chill running down my spine from the silence. I had the same unsettling feeling as I'd had that year and a half ago just before the Chitauri invasion. This could have been the very same street where I…

"I don't have visual on the ship, Clint," Natasha called. "Which direction?"

"Southeast from my position. Open your eyes, Nat, it's huge!"

"I don't see it either," I added.

"You guys have to be joking. You're joking right?"

"I see it," Tony said. He soared overhead, the sound of his thrusters startling in contrast to the previous silence. I watched him go, confused. How was he seeing something that we couldn't? I stopped walking and shut my eyes. If I couldn't see the ship with my eyes, I'd have to see it in a different way; my way. It took a lot of focus before I could clearly 'see' the outline of the ship, or, rather, the hundreds of alien bodies clustered around it. That explained why I was so uneasy. I tried to count exactly how many, but I was quickly losing my focus. Now that I had my memories back I realized just what a burden the strange mechanical casing around my heart was. It obviously didn't completely stunt my abilities, but it did just enough to make everything more difficult.

"Still not seeing it," Natasha repeated.

"It must only be visible right now from above," I explained, opening my eyes and trying to angle myself towards where I had felt the ship. Still with my naked eye I couldn't see a thing, but now I knew better. "Watch yourself," I added.

"Uh, something's happening," Clint said. I kept my eyes glued to the empty spot of sky, waiting. I was feeling more and more agitated by the minute, which could only mean that something bad was about to happen. Surely enough a large scale looking shard, like the one we encountered before, came hurling towards me. I jumped out of the way as it dove into the pavement, lodging itself in the new crack. Several followed after, seemingly spit out of the sky at high speeds. I pressed myself against the wall of a building behind me, feeling like my throat was going to close up. This was it. This was happening. We were going to fight these things, all of these things, until it was over. The last time I had tried this, I'd ended up with a spear through the heart.

I swallowed. For a moment, I cursed myself for insisting on fighting. Why didn't I just listen to Steve? I could be safe in the warehouse right now, instead of being faced with at least a dozen strange shards that in any minute would unfold to reveal the creatures I'd come to hate. But this was happening. I was here. I had to fight. _You wanted this, _I reminded myself, leaning away from the wall. I pulled securely on my gloves, making sure my suit was fully zipped and my hair tied back and out of the way. The shards didn't move, though the glyphs that decorated the smooth white edges pulsed in various colors. Waiting was agonizing. What were they waiting for?

I got my answer when a horrifying screech screamed through the thin air, followed by visual on the ship, finally. It was a huge shard, looking much like all of the smaller ones now that they had been ejected. While still in the air, glyphs glowing, the ship suddenly twisted and cracked down the middle, unfolding until a terrifying revelation came over me. It wasn't a ship. It was the _mother_. As soon as it had finished taking form it crashed onto the ground, ripping up the streets with its claws, each foot nearly larger than a car. No, not a car. A _van. _It snaked its massive tongue out of its cylindrical mouth, letting out a scream that made my stomach turn.

"Ohh, _now _I see it," Natasha commented. I couldn't believe she was joking at a time like this. The smaller shards that had scattered around me slowly unfolded until I was surrounded by smaller creatures, though my eyes were still glued to the big one.

"How are we going to beat this?" I asked, my words coming out in a scared whisper.

"Better find out soon. There are three more coming," Clint informed us. Nausea rolled over me.

"Just knock out the little guys. I'll work up a plan for the bit ones," Tony said, passing by overhead once again before disappearing over the edge of a building.

"Oh boy," I muttered under my breath. I was forced into action when one of the creatures caught sight of me and lunged forward, teeth bared. I grabbed its front legs, thankful for the gloves Tony had made, and swung it backwards against the wall I had previously been leaning against. Before it could get up again I sent an electric shock through it, killing it nearly instantly. The rush of power and satisfaction that gave me I found mildly concerning, though I definitely didn't have the time to think about it right now. Four more came running at me, and I struggled to take them all down.

"Everyone good so far?" Steve asked.

"Fine," I answered.

"Aw, you're worried about us, that's cute," Clint said. An arrow whizzed past my face and struck a creature that was nearing me, getting it right between where its eyes should have been.

"Thanks, Clint."  
"I've got you."

"Annabelle, this way!" Thor yelled to me from down the street, waving a hand to beckon me. I quickly went to his side.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"Plan? No plan. Just kill as many as you can," he said, swinging his hammer down on a creature that tried to grab at him.

"Oh, great. No plan," I repeated slowly. I left Thor and went after a few more of the enemy that had gathered nearby, fighting to get them all down. Just as I'd put down the last one, however, a hoard of them piled on me from above. I hit the ground hard and shielded the one part of my skin that was left exposed: my face. They clawed at my suit and dug into my side, and I could only pray that they didn't rip it and get through to my skin. I didn't need my powers to be taken away right now, and no one else needed more of these stupid aliens with my abilities at their disposal. I clenched my fists and released a burst of energy, knocking them all back but not out. They were very quickly getting back up, but I got to my feet before they recovered.

"Here!" Thor called, and I looked up just in time to see Mjolnir flying at me from afar. I panicked and quickly held my hands out to catch it, but the hammer just kept going as if I wasn't even there. It carried me back until my back came in contact with a wall, which I promptly crashed through. Only then did Mjolnir stop, pinning me down on the ground. A strange squeal left my lips, the wind completely knocked out of me. Thor hurried over and leaned over me, a surprised look on his face.

"I thought you could wield Mjolnir!"

"With a lot of concentration and time..!" I yelled back, though it was more of a strained whisper than a yell.

"Ah. So you are not truly worthy after all. I knew it." He lifted the hammer off my chest with ease, a satisfied grin on his face. I stared at him, dumbfounded and a little irritated.

"Seriously? That's what you have to say?" I asked, gaining back enough of my breath to pull myself off the ground and get back out onto the street. He gave me an innocent look.

"What?"

"Unbelievable," I muttered, then quickly ducked as one of the creatures threw itself at me. It crashed against what was left of the wall, and I electrocuted it from there. I turned back to Thor.

"…You have to admit, it was rather funny," he said. I rolled my eyes and moved past him, going to attack more of the creatures that had gathered. He joined me, the two of us fighting back to back. "You soared through the air as if you were flying," Thor continued as we fought, smirking over his shoulder at me.

"It's really not that funny, I assure you," I commented. I threw a creature his way and he smacked it down, its body flattening as it hit the ground.

"I wish I had seen it," Tony said over the earpiece.

"No one asked you to contribute," I snapped, though I was thankful for the lighthearted banter. It really took the fear of fighting away, for the most part.

"Uh, guys we've got a problem back at the warehouse," Bruce said, sounding worried. I broke away from Thor and took off towards the warehouse, turning the corner just in time to see a mass of creatures crowded around the big doors, which crashed open with the impact.

"Everyone, get over here now," I said quickly, sprinting inside to try to get as many aliens out as I could before they got to the innocent people inside.

"Kind of busy," Tony answered, a struggle behind his words. I grabbed the legs of two of the creatures and swung them back out the door behind me, grabbing at more as soon as I released them. No one seemed to be in the main room, thankfully. Bruce must have ushered them into some of the back rooms when he noticed something was going wrong. But Bruce…Bruce was somewhere close. I could feel him.

"Bruce!" I called, before noticing a pile of creatures near a corner of the room. They were all crawling over each other, clawing at what was under them, tongues lashing out. They reminded me of ants now with their movement. I ran over and pried a few from the pile, panicking when I realized that Bruce was under all of them. My heart sputtered in my chest. I desperately tried to pull as many off as I could, but they'd all managed to latch onto each other as well as Bruce underneath them, and it was nearly impossible for me to get them all away. I could have electrocuted them, but I feared hurting him as well and refused to take that risk.

"Bru—" I started again, but was cut off by a roar. I was thrown backwards with several of the creatures, sliding across the warehouse floor. The ground rumbled as the Hulk emerged from the pile of ravenous aliens, swinging his massive fists around and sending them in various directions, where they almost immediately fell limp. He thrashed around, stomping his feet, looking around for more things to smash. His eyes fell on me.

"Uh oh," I said quietly.

[Hi all! Sorry this update came so late. And sorry again for missing last week's update. This is the battle part one, and I'll (hopefully) finish part two and have it posted some time tomorrow. I was really going to do both parts today, but I haven't really been able to focus. Not only did I have my tests last week, but I also have been having a concerning health issue that I won't go too much into detail with that has kind of been stressing me out. I'm sure it's nothing, but I'm scheduling a doctor's appointment for next week to get it checked out just in case it is something serious. Next Saturday I have something I'm doing all day, but I'll try to get a chapter out. And (drum roll please) the chapter after the battle chapters (this one and the next) is going to be the last one! If it isn't done next week I'll have it finished by Halloween! After that I'll take a short break to plan some stuff out before starting the sequel up. I'll keep you guys posted on that for sure. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you have a nice rest of your day/night/other.]


	31. Chapter 29 - Part Two

**Steve**

"What's the status with the warehouse?" Steve asked, his fingers pressed to the communicator nestled in the center of his ear. He was leaning against the side of a building, his nose bloodied but the rest of him intact. There was a halt in the seemingly endless hordes of alien creatures, which gave him a much needed break.

"Annabelle? Banner?" he asked again.

"Bruce is off comms," Natasha informed, a grunt following her words. Clearly Steve was not the only one who was, or at least had been, busy.

"Probably means the big guy has come out to play," Tony commented.

"Annabelle?" Steve pressed on.

"I'm here," she answered quietly.

"What's going on?"

"Hulk is out. I'm trying to lure him away from the people in the other room…but I can't leave because those stupid eyeless freaks are just hanging here, waiting to come attack."

"Hold on. I'm coming your way."

"I'll see what I can do as well, but I can't seem to catch a break, here," Clint said.

"Don't worry. Take care of yourself," she responded. Steve leaned away from the building and headed in her direction. He had his shield out in defense, though the street before him now only held corpses.

"Petition to officially call these things 'eyeless freaks'," Tony joked, but Steve shook his head. He was almost to the warehouse now, picking up his pace to a sprint as soon as he saw the doors had crashed down. As he got closer he could see Annabelle inside, her back pressed against one of the storage shelves that had been left behind when they 'rented' the space out. She caught sight of him and quickly held up her hand, blood spattered on her face and trickling from her mouth. Steve skidded to a halt just before reaching the entrance, staring at her and waiting for further command. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a slow, deep breath. When she opened them again she pointed behind her, then held a finger against her lips. He followed her point with his eyes and found the Hulk standing near the corner of the room, his massive shoulders lifting and falling as he took short, angry breaths. He looked back to her, nodding once. She lifted her finger from her lips and pointed upwards. Her gaze didn't leave him as he slowly tilted his head up, his eyes falling on what looked to be at least a dozen of the smooth white creatures, teeth bared and dripping with salivation as they looked down on her from the rafters. They were eerily still aside from the occasional twitch of their revoltingly lengthy tongues, silent and waiting for anyone to move. Steve's mind ran through numerous possibilities of how to get out of the situation, but Annabelle caught his attention again with another hand motion. She made a circular shape in the air, pointed to his shield, then pointed to herself. As he met her eyes she nodded her head slowly. He nodded in return. He readied himself as she held out her hand, counting down on her fingers from five. When she reached zero he tossed the shield at her, the motion causing the creatures huddled above to screech and scuttle around. This, of course, caught Hulk's attention as well. He gave an angry exhale and spun around to face the noise, eyes wide and brow furrowed. Annabelle slid her hand across the front of the shield, her eyes suddenly illuminated by her strange electrical light. It became clear after a few moments that whatever she intended hadn't worked, though, a horrified and panicked look coming over her face as she jerked her head upwards just in time for one of the creatures to leap down on her. She deflected it with the shield and shoved it across the room with inhuman strength, then hurled the metal disk up at the rafters. It hit several more of the creatures and knocked them loose before returning, where Steve leaped forward and caught it.

"What were you planning with that?" he yelled over the screams of the fallen aliens, getting in a defensive stance.

"I was going to send an electrical current through it and knock them all out. But you didn't tell me your shield absorbs electricity," she said quickly, somewhat exasperated.

"I didn't know," he answered.

"You take these, I'll do something about Hulk." She leaped gracefully from her spot, landing several feet up on one of the shelves, which she quickly climbed over and sprung from the other side. He could no longer see her, but he didn't have time to think or worry about what she was doing. Six more of the enemy fell from the roof and tore towards him, collecting the other fallen ones as they went. Dazed as some of them were, they were still fast. He did all he could to bring them down, bashing and slicing through the pack until they were all still, his breathing heavy and his nose dripping with blood once more. As soon as he was sure they wouldn't get back up he turned and rounded the corner of the large shelf, not wasting any time to go assist Annabelle.

She was moving quickly in jagged patterns, the Hulk pursuing her as best he could, though he looked the slightest bit confused. He reached out to clap his hands over her head but she was suddenly on the other side of him, waiting for him to catch up before moving again. Though he was much stronger than her, she was much, much faster. Steve watched and tried to calculate how to cut into this little dance, but she made a different move before he could act. While behind Hulk she hoisted herself up onto his back, nearly being thrown off as he thrashed around in protest. She struggled to keep herself up, grabbing his hair and trying to dodge his angry fists.

"I could use a hand," she spat out, missing one big green fist by mere centimeters. Steve ran forward and stood defensively in front of Hulk.

"Hey!" he yelled, catching his attention. He roared and went to grab at Steve, giving Annabelle just enough time to slap her hands on each side of his face. At first nothing happened, but then Hulk suddenly thrashed more violently, and his movements quickly became clumsy. He stumbled around, eyes heavy, then eventually lost his footing. He crashed to the ground, taking Annabelle down with him.

"Annabelle!" Steve ran to her side, Hulk lazily trying to grab at his feet as he passed. His hands were gradually becoming less green, his massive form shrinking in size until only a shivering, half clothed Bruce remained. Annabelle lifted a hand, lightly setting it atop Bruce's messy head of hair.

"He's alive, right?" she asked, sounding tired.

"He's fine," Steve assured her after giving Bruce a quick look, holding out a hand to help her up. She graciously took it. "Your face is a mess," he added jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. He'd never seen her look so tired, nor so defeated.

"So is yours," she responded, smiling faintly.

"Touché."

"There's a problem, guys," Tony interrupted.

"Let me guess. Your plan didn't work, did it?" Clint asked.

"The plan was perfect. These things just didn't react the way they were supposed to."

"Uh huh."

"Do you have another plan?" Annabelle asked, then gestured to Bruce on the floor. Steve took the hint and picked him up, taking him to one of the side rooms where the group of gifted people were hiding. He lightly knocked after finding the door sealed shut.

"Dr. Banner needs to join you. Please, open up." It took a moment, but eventually a small woman pulled the door open and let him in.

"I'm working on it," Tony said, answering Annabelle.

"I'll go out there and see what I can do," she said. Steve laid Bruce down against the wall and checked in with the group of people, making sure no one was hurt or needed help in any way. When he confirmed that everyone was alright he stepped back out of the room. Annabelle was gone.

"Couldn't have waited for me?" he asked, jogging out of the warehouse to try to catch up with her.

"You're too slow," she commented over the communicator.

"Oooooh!"

"Clint."

"Sorry."  
"Well, where are you headed? I can meet up with you there." Steve waited for a response, but he didn't get one. "Hello?"

"She's fine, Cap, I see her," Tony said. "She packs a hell of a punch."

"I don't doubt that. Can you get me her location?"

"Near the tower. She's fighting off a-_shit!_"

"What's the matter?" he stopped running, lifting his head to try to see the tower from beyond the other large buildings. From where he was standing, he could only see the top.

"They're in my tower!" Tony cursed.

"Is there anything in there that would cause us trouble?" Steve asked, then reconsidered. "I don't know why I ask. Of course there is."

"That's not why I'm upset! I just rebuilt that tower from the last stupid invasion!"  
"Ah, Stark, worrying about the important things," Natasha mocked.

"I'll take care of it," Annabelle cut in, finally joining the conversation.

"How many are there?" Steve took off in a run towards her direction. There was no way he was letting her fight through things alone. He'd already left her alone too much today.

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Aw, Annie, let Cap help you. He always wants to be the prince that saves the day," Tony added.

"Never call me Annie," she answered, ignoring the rest.

"May I just take a moment to say how privileged I feel to be a part of these conversations?" Clint asked, to which everyone, nearly in unison, yelled _no._

It took Steve nearly ten minutes to finally get to the tower, though, again, Annabelle was nowhere in sight. That is, until she crashed through one of the windows from high up, holding two of the alien creatures in each hand. He watched with worry as she plummeted to the ground. She caught herself, though, and managed to land gracefully on her feet. After throwing the creatures into a pile of others that she'd collected close by she brushed herself off, an accomplished look on her face. She turned towards Steve, hands firmly on her hips.

"I told you I could handle it."  
"I didn't doubt you, I jus-"

The most sickening scream rang through his ears, his legs quivering suddenly as nausea overtook him. The ground shook violently, the remaining windows in the towers that surrounded them shattering with the impact. Before he could move, before he could even speak, Stark Tower before him crumbled. Through the rubble came one of the massive, mother aliens, teeth bared and body markings flaring with color. The rumbling stopped but the nausea remained, and he had to take a moment to breathe before pressing a shaky hand to his communicator.

"What was that noise?" Tony asked.

"Oh, Tony...you don't want to know," Natasha replied somberly.

"I always want to know." Within seconds Steve heard Tony's suit soar by, his thrusters sputtering.

"...What the _fu_-"

"I'm on it," Annabelle interrupted. Before Steve could grab her she had sprinted off towards the intimidating beast, her hands extended a bit out to the side.

"Annabelle!"

"Don't worry, Cap, I'll take this one. Sit your old man butt down somewhere." Tony started.

"This isn't a time for jokes, Stark," Steve threatened, clenching his fists.

"No one come near. If what I do doesn't work, hit it with all you've got," Annabelle said.

"I don't care what you say, there's no way in-" He cut himself off as he watched her dig in her ear and pull out the communicator, tossing it aside as she ran. "...unbelievable."

"Maybe she has a plan. Let's give her a minute," Tony said.

"Excuse me, do you see the size of that thing? And you're just going to let her go alone?"

"There's not much we can do at this point but trust her. Nothing I've done to get rid of the big ones have worked."

"But-"  
"Let her take this, Steve. She's not a little girl," Natasha said softly. Steve squared his jaw and turned to watch Annabelle from afar.

"The moment this doesn't work, we go in."  
"Absolutely."

Annabelle stopped just short of the monstrous creature, taking her still outstretched hands and swinging them around in front of her, one hand just barely missing the other until her arms were crossed at the wrists. She took a visible deep breath and scrunched her fingers, pulling her arms back as she did. Whatever she was doing seemed to have no effect on the creature, however, even though she herself looked like she was struggling. She dug her heel back into the rubble and bent at the knees, pulling her fingers in until they formed into fists. The moment her fists were tightly clenched, something incredible happened. Steve could hardly believe it himself, watching in wonder as the creature's legs gave out, a bright array of colors exploding from under its skin. They shot like fireworks as they broke their way through the alien's scaly white skin, curling out in bands of light too surreal for him to believe. In moments the alien had collapsed, and, with it, Annabelle. She fell back into the rubble, buried suddenly in the dust that rose up from where the big one had fallen.

Steve rushed over, heart thumping, Tony right behind him. He fanned away the dust, searching around with what little he could see.

"G-H-he-r-" He couldn't understand Tony as he spoke through the communicator, everything jumbled. He could, however, see the light emitting from the arc reactor a little ways away, and chose to follow it. He stepped carefully over all of the fallen pieces of Stark Tower, eventually catching up to Tony. He was crouched on the ground, holding one hand out to use as a sort of flashlight. The light was shining directly on the dirt and ash covered face of Annabelle, her eyes shut softly and her head loosely hanging to the side. He quickly knelt down as well and took her wrist, feeling for a pulse. He didn't get one.

"We need medical attention, now!" Steve called into his communicator, but got no response.

"I think our signal is jammed," Tony said under his breath. "I'll take her."

"No, I've got it," Steve insisted.

"Come on, Cap, you don't always have to be the hero. It's actually annoying." Tony shifted his eyes down, but the look on Steve's face stopped him from saying anything further. "...fine. Take her. Quick." Steve scooped her up and ran out of the fog of dust as fast as he could, holding her close to him. He heard some more garbled speaking in his ear which sounded vaguely like Clint, though he hardly paid it any attention. All that mattered at that moment was getting Annabelle somewhere to revive her. He only hoped it wasn't too late.

[Hey guys! Sorry for the few weeks of hiatus...had a lot of stressful stuff going on. But, we're all good now! We're nearing the end here, guys. Thank you so much for sticking with me for the ride! I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Hopefully by this weekend!  
Thanks so much for bearing with me. You all rock.]


	32. Chapter 30

_Annabelle_

I remembered Steve's arms.

It wasn't a recent memory, but it wasn't too far, either. The last time I had felt them like this was years ago, when I was only half aware, half alive. Maybe not even alive at all. He'd carried me then like he carried me now, close and desperate, like if he let one finger slip I'd be gone. Maybe I would. My heart had never ached this badly, my blood pooling in unnatural places inside and out of my body. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like everything was being pushed and squeezed in all different directions. I felt so close to death, but I wasn't afraid. Oddly enough, I felt that things were going to be okay, even when I lost feeling in my arms and legs, and my vision eventually faded away. I would be alright. They wouldn't let me die. Even as I felt death approaching, I knew they couldn't possibly...after all we'd been through.

This wasn't the first time I'd felt death so strongly. I remembered it from the Chitauri attack a few years back, when everything was cold, without color, and completely suffocating. I felt like I was slipping, slowly losing myself. It was as if my soul was being torn out of my physical body. I was only semi-conscious of the alien weapon still speared through my chest, though not aware enough to think to remove it. I wanted to thrash and scream, break free of the awful feeling, but I couldn't move. I wasn't even strong enough to open my eyes and see the person who had scooped me up and pulled the weapon out, the one who tried to run me to safety before it was too late. All I wanted then was for the pain to stop. And then...nothing. It's bizarre to feel absolutely nothing. It's like being suspended in time, or existing in a completely separate realm. It should be scary, but it isn't. It's nothing. I felt nothing. I _was _nothing. That's what death was like. I felt it then, and I felt it now.

But, I woke up then. Something pulled me back out of that lull and I sputtered awake, all the pain and horrors spilling into me as I was forced back into the real world. I hated it then. I didn't want to live anymore. I was completely content in that lull. But my father revived me, took everything I was and made me forget it. Perhaps that's why it was so bad, waking up the first time. I woke up a different person. I wasn't the same Annabelle.

This time, however, when I found myself being pulled out of my quiet lull of death, things were different. I couldn't get my eyes open nor muster up enough strength to move a single muscle, but I didn't need to. The colors that I felt, that sixth sense of mine, were so vibrant around me that I could easily tell where everything was. Downstairs I felt the brilliant gold light of Thor, sitting in a room that was most likely the kitchen, because I could see the humming electrical light of the appliances near him. Natasha and Clint resided in the same room a bit farther away from him, both sitting in close proximity to each other. Steve was a few doors down from myself. As for the two remaining men, I found that they were in the exact same room as me, hovering nearby. Bruce's energy, which was a dull color somewhere between a deep blue and violet, popped with sudden surprise.

"Annabelle?" I heard him ask after a moment, moving closer to me. Tony followed behind. I took a moment to breathe, one deep breath in and out. It was strange how awake I felt, and strange that I was in this building that, so far, I didn't recognize. My last memory was that of Steve picking me up, and that felt like it was only a moment ago. I had to wonder how long I'd been asleep between then and now.

I inhaled deeply again before forcing my eyes open. The light above me was too bright, washing away the features of Bruce as he leaned over me, his curly hair pushed out in all directions as if he hadn't combed it for days. I squinted and lifted one weak arm over my face.

"J, turn the lights down a bit," I heard Tony say. I waited, then hesitantly lifted my arm again. The light was dimmed significantly. Though any light at all was still too much for me at the moment, this was better than before.

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked quietly. I opened my mouth to speak, moving my jaw around a bit to make sure I still could before answering.

"I'm not sure."  
"Well, you're alive. That's a good sign," Tony commented from behind Bruce.

"Do you feel different?" Bruce asked again.

"I feel...like I can see clearly." I focused again on all of the colors I could feel swarming around the building, even outside the building if I tried hard enough. I hadn't felt them this strong in a very long time. Realizing that this wasn't something the men could understand, though, I quickly rethought my answer. "I mean...my abilities feel stronger. Much stronger."

"So it worked after all…" He leaned back a bit and let out a breath of relief. "We weren't sure if we were doing the right thing."

"What did you do?" I asked, though I had a feeling I already knew the answer. That mechanical hum of the heart my father had implanted in me was gone.

"We took your heart out. Or, the machine serving as your heart. We weren't going to, but you kept waking up, screaming about it before passing out again. We thought maybe it was the reason you couldn't fully wake up. You were close to death as it was...we thought we might as well give it a shot," Tony explained. Bruce nodded in agreement.

"Your tests came back from the SHIELD lab that said you had uncanny regenerative abilities. I suppose we already knew that, but having lab proof eased my mind a bit. We wouldn't have taken it out completely if it wasn't for those tests. We probably would have just repaired it," he said.

"But, lucky for you, the tests supported the idea that you could grow yourself a new heart," Tony added with a small smile. I lifted a hand and set it over my chest, which I didn't realize until now was mostly bare besides a large bandage wrapped around my torso and a robe draped over my shoulders.

"It was kind of a shame, though, taking it out. I didn't know your father was so good with mechanics. That thing was incredible."

"Did you keep it?" I asked, using my elbows to slowly push myself up. Bruce wrapped an arm around my back to steady me.

"Yeah, I'm keeping it. Going to tinker with it a bit, if you don't mind," Tony said. I nodded.

"Do whatever you want with it. Just don't put it back in me."

"Will do."

"We should let everyone know she's up, Tony. Especially Steve." Bruce looked down at me. "He was beside himself when he brought you out of the rubble. He was convinced you were dead and it was his fault for not helping, or keeping you back from the fight. I think he really cares for you." My heart fluttered, my _real_ heart, which was a strange feeling that I was unable to experience with the mechanical one I'd been living with before.

"Hey, we all do," Tony added. "You're part of our little family now, whether you want to be or not."

"I want to be," I said, finally sure of it. I hadn't been able to decide what I wanted before, but for the first time since I'd gotten here I finally felt like I'd be able to stay. After all I'd been through here, I couldn't imagine going back to my father, like I had originally planned.

Bruce and Tony exchanged a look, then Tony smiled.

"We'll get you a permanent room at the tower. You can decorate it how you like, all that jazz. Sound good?"

"Yes, that sounds really nice, but...I think I want to try to find my own place."

"Why would you want to do that?" he asked, almost sounding offended.

"Honestly…you have so much technology there and it gives me a headache sometimes," I admitted. It was true that electrical waves took their toll on me, though I'd tried to ignore it while I was there. Before I had my memories back, I'd just assumed my nausea was from the accident. I knew better now.

"When I rebuild the tower I could build you a whole section for your needs. Limited appliances, _archaic_technology. Would that be alright?" I'd almost forgotten that Stark Tower had been destroyed, the image of that giant alien creature flashing through my mind.

"...you'd do that for me?" I asked quietly. He nodded.

"Sure. After all, I'm thinking this time around I'll remodel it for everyone. An Avengers tower, you know? It's the least I can do. It'll have everything that everyone needs."

"Sounds like a big project, Tony," Bruce said, pushing his glasses into his breast pocket. I hadn't realized he'd released my shoulders. I was sitting up just fine on my own.

"Of course we'll have to stay in different places until it's finished. I've got my place in Malibu. Bruce, you can stay there too."

"Oh, no thanks. Don't want to wreck anything there. I'll find a place."

"I'll help with that. Let's see...Steve has his place. Thor has his…'Asgard'. That just leaves you, Annabelle."

"Like I said, I'll find a place."

"Or, how about this, you could room with Steve." He raised his eyebrows, a playful grin on his face. I didn't crack a smile, though it took an effort not to.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not."

"I appreciate you trying to get us together, I do," I slowly slid myself off the side of the cot I was laying on, the solid ground cold on my bare toes, "but you can't just force these things." I tied the robe loosely around my waist, making sure I was all covered before heading for the door. The robe was nice, surprisingly. It wasn't one of those unflattering medical robes that left your backside completely exposed, thank goodness. I didn't look half bad for someone who almost died, though I didn't want to think about what shape my hair was in.

"Okay, but you definitely just confirmed you'd want a relationship with him. You heard that, right Bruce?"

"Oh, no, I'm staying out of this, Tony."

"You always stay out of it."

"There's a reason for that."

I slipped out while they were still talking, though I was sure they noticed me leave. I stopped in the hall and waited for them to run after me, pull me back in to lay down, but no one came. It seemed they were letting me go. I moved quickly down the hall, having a little difficulty getting my feet to move in the direction I wanted them to. Using the wall to steady myself, I eventually found my way to a large metal door, or, as I saw it, the door that Steve was hidden behind. I brought my fist up and gave a few gentle knocks, my heart sputtering uncontrollably. I'd forgotten how spastic the natural heart could be. It was almost annoying. _Almost._

Steve pulled the door open, a surprised look on his face as his blue eyes fell on me. Those glorious blue eyes…

"Annabelle? You're up…are you supposed to be up?" he asked slowly.

"They didn't stop me when I left," I answered, "I'm feeling pretty okay."

"You don't feel faint at all? You've been in such a bad condition all this time, maybe you want to—"

"I'm okay, Captain," I interrupted, "I've come to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"For bringing me to safety."

"Anyone would have done it. No one would have left you there in the rubble. No need to thank me."

"A year and a half ago, you saved me. Do you remember?" He scrunched his brow, informing me that he didn't. "After the invasion that started this group. The one that brought you all together for the first time. I was there. I fought. I died. You picked me up. Sound familiar at all?"

"I picked up a lot of people. That whole day was…a mess."

"Do you believe me?"

"I don't have a reason not to. I'm sorry I don't remember."

"It's okay." I fumbled around with the edge of my robe, running my fingers repeatedly across the fabric. "I didn't remember it until now anyway. My whole life…my whole timeline is just a jumbled mess of…" I trailed off, looking up at him. "That's not the point, though. I just heard that you were feeling bad about what happened to me, so I came to thank you and tell you that it's all fine. I'm okay. Tony and Bruce resolved the problem. I'm even feeling better than I have since I met you all. So, there's no need to worry."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for letting me know." I nodded my head, though I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to embrace him. I pulled at the side of my robe a bit more roughly, stopping myself. That would be inappropriate. It would make me look stupid. I never wanted to look stupid, especially in front of him.

"Where are we?" I asked, hoping to distract myself from my own thoughts. I wasn't sure if it was because he had saved me, or because I'd just woken up from near-death, or some other strange reason, but I'd never been so attracted to him. And that was saying something, considering he had been my idol for years of my life.

"Safe house. Tony requested it."

"Are we still under attack?" My mood sank a little at the thought. If all of our efforts had been for nothing, I didn't know what I'd do.

"No, no. We won." He smiled a little, a smile that absolutely melted my stupid heart. "After you brought that thing down the rest of them started to get really spastic. We took one more down while they were in bad shape, and then they retreated. Right back into the sky."

"Hopefully they've realized they aren't welcome here," I mumbled.

"What did you do? To the big one, I mean. It didn't look like you were doing anything…you both took a fall pretty suddenly." I took a deep breath, thinking back to my last attack. I hadn't realized what I was doing at the time, but the motions were just there, ingrained in my brain.

"I…think I ripped its soul out," I answered softly. I could still hear the screams of the creature in my head, the screams of something being ripped away from itself. I shuddered.

"Ripped its soul out?" Steve repeated, a peculiar look on his face.

"I can't explain it to you. You don't see the things I see. But…there's two parts to every person. The physical body, and the soul. I guess. I don't know if what I see is actually a soul, or maybe a consciousness, or…" I trailed off again, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to think. How could I explain something so incredible to someone who couldn't experience it?

"Hey, don't strain yourself. It's alright. We'll talk about it when you're well. If you even want to talk about it, that is. I was just curious." He put a hand on my shoulder, my body shuddering again at the touch. I nodded my head once.

"Annabelle Green!" Thor's voice bellowed down the hall. He came towards us with his arms wide open, a brilliant smile on his face. He grabbed me in a monstrous hug, nearly crushing my weak body.

"Hey, Thor, not too hard," Steve said, though he looked half amused. Thor released me, but kept a hold on my shoulders.

"You were brilliant in your first battle!"

"I—oh, thank you," I responded, a little taken aback. He beamed, the white of his teeth almost blinding.

"I was hoping you would wake before I took my leave."

"Leave? You mean back to Asgard?"

"Yes. Dark things are happening, and I must leave this world and return to help my own. It is my hope that nothing drastic has occurred in my absence."

"Well, best of luck." I smiled and brought a hand up to pat one of his, which still had a firm hold on my shoulder. "When will you be back?"

"I cannot say. But soon, I hope. I will come whenever my friends here are in need of me." He gave my shoulders a great squeeze before releasing me, nodding at Steve.

"We'll see you soon," Steve said with a nod in return. Thor flashed one last smile before moving around me, departing through a door farther down the hall. I lifted a hand to wave, though I wasn't sure if he saw. I focused in on his energy outside, watching it until it suddenly vanished, as if sucked up into the sky. Perhaps that's exactly what had happened.

"Green." Tony poked his head out of the door to the room I'd woken up in, which was only a few rooms away. It had seemed much farther when I walked it just a few minutes earlier. Bruce peeked out from behind him, giving one of his shy smiles.

"Still feeling okay, Annabelle?" he asked, to which I nodded and gave him a lazy thumbs up. Tony made his way fully out of the room and closed the distance between us, draping an arm around my shoulders.

"So. Let's talk real estate. What kind of place are you looking for? Big? Small? With a big, muscular roommate?" He raised an eyebrow at me and shot a look at Steve, who didn't seem to be following.

"Small is fine. Somewhere close, but not too close. I don't want you dropping in all the time," I said with a smirk. Tony made a face.

"Me dropping in all the time would be a blessing. You just don't want to admit it."

"Oh, yes, you caught me." I rolled my eyes, but smiled.

"My building might have a place or two for rent," Steve offered, to which Tony nearly lost it. I gave him a good whack on the back of the head, though it wasn't very hard due to the fact that my arms were still weak.

"I'll have to look into it," I said, looking over at Steve.

"Do you need to borrow any money?" Tony asked. I bit my lip. Of course I hadn't even thought of money. That was how stupid and out of it I had become. Not to mention I, as a grown woman, had never really needed to worry about my own money. Everything was my father's.

"No," I said slowly, "I've got it covered." This was a lie, however. The best idea I could come up with was to get a job, though I wasn't really sure how to go about that. There were so many things I needed to figure out, simple things, before I'd be able to really face the real world. But I'd figure those things out on my own. I didn't need the help.

"Just say the word and I'll help you out," he assured. I nodded in thanks. "And it won't be for long. Like I said, I'm hoping on getting the Avengers Tower started pretty quickly. I've already called Pepper, and she's on her way to help." Pepper Potts. I couldn't wait to meet the woman crazy enough to date Tony Stark.

"Avengers Tower?" Steve asked.

"Oh, Cap, just wait. It'll be great. It'll blow your old-man mind."

"I don't doubt that." I ran a hand through my mess of hair, zoning out on the conversation. This was it. This was my place. These were my new people. And honestly, I'd never been happier. But there was still a part of me that felt uneasy, a part that I couldn't quite focus on. Was I scared? My life was about to change forever. Or, maybe it already had, and I was only just catching up to it.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," I said, crossing the hall to get to the door from which Thor exited. Just as before, no one followed. I pushed the door open and was hit with a rush of chilled winter air, though it wasn't nearly as cold as what I had felt at our last safe house. Instead, this cold was almost refreshing. I pulled the robe tighter around me and walked down the steps, looking out at the empty field surrounding me. I couldn't see far with the low clouds that were rolling in, but I didn't need to. No one was out there. There was no threat. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, fog billowing from my mouth. A handful of tiny snowflakes danced down from above me, melting as they hit my skin. Bringing a hand to my chest, I let my eyes fall closed. For once in a very long time, I felt relaxed. Whatever came after this would be rough, and what came before was too painful to think about. But now, in this moment, I was at peace.

I felt Steve approach before he spoke, his steps quiet as he came to a standstill next to me.

"It's cold," he said. I nodded. "Feels kind of nice, though, doesn't it?" I nodded again.

"I feel like everything is going to be okay," I whispered, just loud enough for him to hear me.

"Yeah," he replied, "me too."

This is only the beginning.

**_End_**


	33. Credits

**Credits Song:  
** watch?v=cSH-_ScN6G0

**Based On:  
**Marvel's 'The Avengers'  
Marvel Comics  
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

**Original Plot By:  
**Samantha Nicole

**Originally Inspired By:  
**Marvel's 'The Avengers'

**Special Thanks To:  
**Alaya Wright

And

All of you, my readers!

**Ending Note:  
**I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read this. I know it's been a rough ride, and I haven't always been consistent with my updates, but you still stuck through until the end. For that, I'm eternally grateful. Because of you, my shenanigans and silly writing ideas have not gone to waste, and I have people to share them with. I know sometimes I get frustrated, and sometimes things in life come up, but know that I appreciate and love you all just the same. The idea of Annabelle and this wonderful Marvel universe has kept me going through some pretty tough spots of life, and I'm glad you all shared that with me. I hope that maybe I've given you at least a smile or two throughout this journey. You've made me smile many a time with your comments and interest in what I have to write.

What happens now - I'll begin a short editing/revising process on this story to make sure I didn't leave any big loose ends untied, and start working on the plot line for the sequels to come. This isn't the end of Annabelle. As previously stated, this is only the beginning.

I hope you're ready for a lot more crazy. It'll be coming your way very soon.

Keep your hearts on this story, and tell your friends! I'll post when the sequel is up and running, which will hopefully be in no time.

Thank you again for being on this journey with me.

Until next time~


	34. Post

**_Tokyo, Japan_**

Kathrine Zindel walked down the busy early-morning sidewalk, glancing between the many shops and businesses in search for one place specifically. She held up a small, crinkled sheet of paper, reading an address off of it one last time before folding it and sliding it into her pocket. She crossed the street and turned into one of the buildings. It was a small café, wedged between two other smaller shops, though the décor inside made it appear much larger. As she took her seat at a table near the back a young woman rushed to serve her.  
"Welcome. How may I help you?" she asked, her Japanese somewhat slowed on account of Kathrine's foreign appearance.  
"Just tea, thank you," Kathrine responded, flashing the woman a smile. She bowed her head and exited through a door to the back, which swished as she passed through it. Folding her hands into her lap and leaning back, Kathrine exhaled.  
"They took the machine out. She's already healed and fully functioning." She spoke in English, her voice low and barely audible.  
"I figured they would," a male responded, his words thick with a German accent. He was sitting at the table directly behind her, a newspaper up to his face and a hat pushed down over his hair.  
"Is that going to be a problem?"  
"It shouldn't be. In fact, I think it may even be an added bonus. A great help to the plan, if you will."  
"Good to hear."  
"You returned her memories?"  
"Most, but not all. She doesn't know about the letters."  
"And her mother?"  
"She doesn't know the circumstances of that, either."  
"Excellent. I'd say things are running quite smoothly, wouldn't you?"  
"I suppose they are." Kathrine cut off her words, plastering the smile back on her face as the woman returned with her tea. She waited for her to exit again before taking a long drink. "They've really taken a liking to her, I think."  
"Of course they have. What's not to like?"  
"All those years of training did her well. She can charm anyone without blinking an eye."  
"Much like yourself?"  
"Hers is luck and practice. Mine is a gift."  
"Ah, yes, excuse me. And such an excellent gift it is. I envy you."  
"You shouldn't. For most I think it would be quite a burden."  
"But not for you."  
"I don't have some of the limitations most do. My gift is perfect for me. Just as it should be." She finished off her tea, sliding the cup to sit at the center of the small table. "I should get going. More updates will come as things happen."  
"We must be patient. But I'm sure she'll be just as useful as we hoped once we get to the next phase."  
"I agree completely." She stood, tucking her shirt in the few places it had become untucked. "Have a nice morning."  
"You as well, Miss Zindel." Kathrine left her money on the table, placing it just under the cup, before turning towards the exit. As she passed the man she stepped a bit to the side, her hand brushing across the fabric of his shirt.  
"Hail Hydra." She crossed the room and left the building, the door chiming as she went. The man chuckled and folded his newspaper, pulling his hat off and setting it beside him on the table. His mossy green eyes glimmered, a crooked smile growing on his aging face.  
"Hail Hydra."


	35. NOTE

Hi all!

I wanted to check in with you guys here. First of all I want to say thank you so much for the lovely comments you guys make. It's so encouraging to get such nice compliments and suggestions on my writing. It makes the writing worth while!

If you haven't noticed (which you probably haven't), I've been making a few edits and reviews to the story. This is just to make sure everything is all in place for the sequel (which will come very soon, I promise). Nothing big is changing, I'm just taking some of your reviews into consideration and fixing a few plot holes and grammar things. Hopefully it'll make it a smoother read for the future.

Did you guys want me to make a new story for the sequel? Or continue adding on to this one? I would love to know your preference.

ALSO, I don't know if I can post links here, but I'm posting this story on Inkitt! One of you suggested I check out the contests over there, so I gave it a look. The contests are super cool; consider looking into it if you haven't already! There are some great authors on there with some amazing original and fan-fiction stuff. And, if you type in The Scientist's Daughter, it should come up there.

LAST, I want to take the time to reply to some of the comments that came from anons: To the anon that mentioned the cursing, thanks for letting me know! In my edits I'm removing most, if not all, instances of cursing in this story. I wasn't thinking, and didn't realize it might be offensive. Thanks for pointing it out, and I'm glad you liked the story!

Next, to the anon that asked if I was a psychologist in real life, BLESS YOU. I'm nothing but a struggling college student, majoring in English literature. Your comment was very sweet, and I'm so glad you thought my descriptions were so nice! I really try to put those in there, so you can feel more of what the character is feeling and easily picture anything. Thanks for the comment!

Last, to the anon that mentioned Annabelle being a little bit to open about her abuse (waaaaay back in May), I'm trying to fix some of that and make her more secretive and standoffish about the whole thing. That's for your input; I like everything to be as accurate as possible!

I love you guys, and thanks so much for reading. Let me know about the sequel, check out Inkitt, and also feel free to ask me any questions. Hope you all have a happy holiday, whichever you celebrate!

~Sami


	36. Psssst

Pssst. Hi guys. I've finished the edits and I'll be uploading them all TOMORROW. Nothing to major changed, so don't worry.

ALSO, here is the link to this story on Inkitt, where I've entered a CONTEST WOO: stories/49759. I don't expect to win, but I would love to have some support from you guys who have already read it. The contest is Fandom 3, if that doesn't show up.

Thanks guys! The sequel will be up hopefully this weekend. I've already drawn the cover art for it, and I'm at least half way through the first chapter. I'll put a link to the new one here when it's out!

Thanks again so much for all your support and love. I'll talk to you guys soon!

~Sami


	37. More NOte

Hi guys. Sorry for all the notes and stuff lately, I just wanted to ask a few questions.

First...how many of you use Quotev/have been on Quotev? It's my primary spot where I post my writing, so things usually get put up and changed quicker over there. The reason I ask is because...well, honestly it's a lot of work to correctly format everything and post everything on two different websites. And it's very time consuming. If I were to only post the sequel on Quotev, would you guys hop over there and use it? If not, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'll take the time to post stuff here if you guys are absolutely against the website. But I was just letting you know the situation at hand. Because I STILL haven't gotten around to updating and posting everything here (because it's much more of a process to manage things on here with the files and documents and such), and it's already all updated and ready to go on Quotev. I just don't want you guys to always be inconvenienced or behind, and I just wanted to know what you thought.

The good news is that the first chapter of the sequel went up this evening. So please let me know ASAP what your thoughts are on this, and if enough people insist on this website, I can probably have the sequel up by next week or so.

I don't remember if I can post links or not, but here's the one for my Quotev page: TheDarkIbis

I'm so sorry if I'm coming off rude or anything...I was just hoping to save some time (because this semester of college for me is really busy as it is...). Again, just please let me know, and I'll do whatever I need to do for you guys.

Thanks for being such loyal readers. Hope you had/are having a wonderful day.

~Sami


End file.
